Moments of Clarity
by WingsOfMorphius
Summary: When Mr. Lancer finds himself growing frustrated with his secretive students, he makes a wish that is overheard by Desiree. Now he finds himself learning more about his class then he'd ever want to know... -Discontinued-
1. Growing Concerns

**WoM- 'Banging head against desk,_' I know I shouldn't have another story… BUT I COULDN'T HELP IT!_ 'crying' _Damn my muses and their pointy steel-toed boots! Anywho, I hope you guys like this story!_ 'beaming in one of her usual creepy mood swings.' _Oh, and I don't own Danny or any of his friends (All rights to the ingenious Mr. Hartman,) so no suing! AND BIG THANKS TO STELLA GOLD FOR BETA-ING FOR ME! 'huggles'_**

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"_Eighty percent of success is showing up."_

_**-Woody Allen**_

* * *

**Growing Concerns **

"_Chronicles of Narnia_!" Mr. Lancer bellowed to his unruly class, slamming a book down and making a few kids jump in shock. "Settle down, children, it's just another ghost attack, no cause for alarm!"

_'There's a line I never thought I'd say in my career as an educator,'_ he added dryly to himself. Still, Amity Park wasn't like other cities, and Casper High wasn't like other high schools. The most haunted school of the most haunted town, everyone in the classroom had witnessed ghost attacks on several different occasions.

Several in the room, Mr. Lancer included, had even been overshadowed by them for an extended period of time. Still, though ghosts were a major threat to all citizens, they had mostly become yet another daily annoyance of late, as three different ghost hunters kept the problem from becoming too serious.

…Well, four.

Jack Fenton, though he meant well and was the brainchild behind the admittedly creative and original Fenton arsenal, was a bit of a bumbling fool. He tended to excite far too easily, causing more destruction and chaos then the paranormal spirits he was so hell-bent on hunting.

His wife, Maddie Fenton, was more competent and focused then her husband. She was also an accomplished paranormal scientist, and the best one to talk to when you were having ghost-related problems.

That wasn't to say that she too didn't tend to go overboard a bit, but she was still the most normal between her and her spouse. Not that 'normal' could be used to describe any Fenton to any degree, the whole family seemed to enjoy leaving a permanent mark on society.

The last human ghost hunter was something of a mystery to the whole town. She was a young woman who wore a black and red hazmat costume with some extremely impressive technology (including a sleek jet sled), and between the three human ghost hunters she was the best at her job with a strict, rabid determination that almost struck the teacher as more of an obsession.

Then there was the last one…

"Look! Look! There he is again!" Paulina squealed in delight as the ghost appeared yet again, blasting his opponent soundly. The popular Hispanic girl sighed happily as she watched him with a hero-worship glaze. "Oh, Phantom's so dreamy!"

Lancer shook his head and sighed, knowing his battle was a lost cause. The students were far more interested in watching the mysterious paranormal hunter Danny Phantom fight off undead forces of evil then they were in Classical Literature works of the 1830s.

That was to be expected, though. Phantom was 'cool' in the eyes of most of the teenage population of Amity. An excellent fighter with rather impressive strategic abilities, he seemed capable of overcoming any problem.

Not to mention the fact that he was rather handsome gave him far more leeway among his young female fans, most of which would risk breaking bones for a chance to be carried off in his arms after being rescued by him.

So far, though, the only one among them that was so lucky was Paulina Sanchez, which actually made perfect sense. Everything about the delicate, popular teenaged girl seemed to scream 'Damsel in Distress!' and the ghosts picked up on that just as easily as the living.

"Wow, you're right, Paulina!" Sam said with clearly feigned enthusiasm. "And you know what else? I don't think we heard you the other eighty billion times you said the exact same thing. And that's on a daily average, by the way." Mr. Lancer groaned as the girls geared up for another catfight.

"Manson! Sanchez!" he barked. "Behave yourselves!" Paulina subdued immediately, but Sam's eyes flashed in defiance before she looked away, sinking further into her chair and crossing her arms in a very unapproachable posture.

Sam Manson was Paulina's polar opposite since their freshman year together, and it was obvious from their appearance alone. The popular cheerleader was a dark-skinned social butterfly who followed the trends and degraded those around her, especially if they weren't in the higher social circles. Though she wasn't above belittling even those she hung out with.

Sam, on the other hand, was almost as pale as the ghost-boy himself, preferring the darker style of the gothic subculture. She was also an avid activist for those who would not or could not stand up for themselves, often dragging her two best friends along for the ride.

_'Speaking of which…'_

"Why hasn't Mr. Fenton returned from the bathroom?" Mr. Lancer asked suspiciously. "Surely he isn't that sick…" Sam and the third member of the infamous troublemaking trio of Amity Park, Tucker Foley, froze up and exchanged worried glances.

"What can I say, Mr. Lancer?" Tucker laughed nervously, "He reeeeeeally shouldn't have had that last Nasty Burger at lunch today!" Mr. Lancer sighed and Sam groaned in perfect union as the tech geek continued to laugh loudly.

Tucker looked like he should've been the perfect student. And he was in fact very intelligent, but he was also unmotivated, and preferred to spend his time and attention flirting or playing video games when he should have been studying, leading to less then adequate grades. Still, he was intensely loyal to Sam and Danny, his two closest friends.

Danny Fenton, the third member of the trio and the only one who had any sort of leeway over the other two, had probably changed the most since Lancer first laid eyes on him in freshman year.

When he first had Danny in a class, he couldn't find anything remarkable about the boy. Then, about three months into the school year, there was an abrupt and sudden change, and Danny was in the middle of all of the most perplexing cases of indiscipline he's ever seen in his many years of teaching.

The more unusual of the troubles faded with time, but other things, such as coming in late for class or even skipping entirely on some cases, began replacing it. Also the boy steadily became braver when dealing with those who used to pick on him, to the point where a glare from him could sometimes gain an instinctive flinch from even Dash.

Even Mr. Lancer found himself shaken at the way the boy could now trick people into trapping themselves in a corner without barely trying. Especially since his grades were mostly in the C range, with a low B peeking through here and there now a days.

Still, his cunning wasn't the only thing that's changed. He was moodier more, tired and distracted a lot, and some time he walked into the room looking as if a gang had just used him as a punching bag, despite the drop in bullying as far as the blue eyed boy was concerned. Honestly, Mr. Lancer was baffled.

"He won!" Paulina squealed, jumping up and down and clapping excitedly. Many of Phantom's other female admirers joined her.

"Big surprise," Sam snorted dryly.

"Well," Mr. Lancer sighed, "now that that's out of the way, can everyone kindly return to their seats?"

There was a little grumbling as everyone took their respective places, and Mr. Lancer waited impatiently for it to die down before turning back to the board.

"Now then, as I was saying-" He started only to be interrupted yet again. This time by the abrupt opening of his classroom door. This did little to improve his bad mood. "Feeling better are we, Mr. Fenton?" He asked dryly. A few kids laughed as the boy in question shut the door behind him. Instead of getting embarrassed, though, Danny looked deep in thought, and a little drained.

"Sorry, Mr. Lancer," he said in monotone, sitting in his seat. Sam and Tucker both shot him worried looks, but neither said anything under Mr. Lancer's suspicious glare.

"As I was saying," Mr. Lancer said again, "If you'll look at page seventy nine of your text…"

* * *

Lancer sighed irritably as he glared down at the papers in front of him, marking off one after another until he reached the end and flipped back to the front, marking B- in red pen.

"You're still here, Jacob?" a voice at the door said in surprise. Mr. Lancer looked up to see one of his colleagues at the door, dressed to leave.

"Just thought I'd get some extra grades in," Mr. Lancer sighed again. "I'm more comfortable here then I am at home." Curious, Mr. Poluka came in and glanced at the paper Mr. Lancer had just finished grading.

"Fenton, huh?" he said, a wry smile playing at his lips. "I've been having problems with that one lately…"

"Danny seems to enjoy making himself a thorn in everyone's side," Mr. Lancer said absently as he moved the paper to the 'graded' pile. "Still… I can't help but feel a little concerned for him,"

"Oh?" Mr. Poluka frowned at Mr. Lancer, "Mind if I ask why?"

"He seems to be hiding something, don't you think?" Mr. Lancer asked, "He and his friends. Normally, I wouldn't bother with such a thing so long as it didn't interfere with their grades, but even though Danny's grades have risen lately whatever the problem is doesn't seem to be going away, considering he always seems to be distracted and jumpy."

"Could be a girlfriend," Mr. Poluka pointed out. "I've heard things about him and that Grey girl for a while now, and everyone knows Manson has feelings for him. Though whether or not the affection is shared seems to be controversial."

"It seems a little more serious then that to me…" Mr. Lancer sighed. "Maybe I'm just looking too far into it, though."

"Give it up, Jacob," Mr. Poluka chuckled. "We're the teachers, remember? The 'bad guys.' No way is Fenton or anyone other teen going to tell us anything, even if it kills them,"

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Mr. Lancer muttered.

"Well, I've got to head home," Mr. Poluka sighed. "Helen wants to visit her mother tonight…."

"Good luck," Mr. Lancer said absently as his colleague left.

Hours later, Mr. Lancer rubbed his sore eyes as he finished putting a grade on the last paper (Dash Baxter. He'd gotten a D-). He'd been grading all night, and the strain was starting to get to him. Things like that reminded him that he wasn't as young as he used to be anymore, which made him sigh wistfully as he yearned for days long pass…

**_'CRASH!'_**

Alarmed, Mr. Lancer jumped up, throwing his door opened and stumbling into Mr. Poluka's science lab, where he heard loud, suspicious noises. Considering what time of night it was and what town he was in, Mr. Lancer almost hoped for vandals or pranksters. Opening the door, he cringed at the sight in front of him.

The lab was totally wrecked. Bottles, beakers and other fragile glass items laid in shambles. The contents that these containers one held stained the walls and floor, and desks and chairs were broken all over the place. Even the whiteboard was now cracked and chipped in several places.

Mr. Lancer gaped at the scene for a good long while before his eyes narrowed into a glare. Leaving the room, he raced down the hall, scanning for any signs of a ghostly intruder.

"Oof!" a voice grunted at he knocked into them.

"I'm sor-!" Mr. Lancer started before stopping in shock and confusion. "Miss Sanchez?"

Paulina blinked and looked up at Mr. Lancer. "Oops," she said. Mr. Lancer frowned.

"Miss Sanchez, what are you doing in school so late?" he demanded.

"I was just… ah… looking for a book I left behind!" she said, smiling brightly, "I was so fascinated by your speech on Beowulf I checked it out from the library, but then forgot it here. I wanted to return for it since I'm close to the end and want to finish it."

Mr. Lancer frowned. "Smooth, Miss Sanchez," he said dryly. "Unfortunately for you, I haven't given a speech on Beowulf yet."

Paulina cringed. "…Ah…"

Mr. Lancer sighed. "Never mind, Miss Sanchez," he said dryly. "Go home. I need to find the ghosts that destroyed the science lab."

Paulina looked towards Mr. Poluka's room quickly, then turned back to Mr. Lancer before he could leave. "What makes you think a ghost did it, Mr. Lancer?" she asked. "And anyways, what are you going to do once you catch them? I mean, it's not like you can give them detention or anything…"

"Well, after I prove a ghost did it, it should be the proper evidence we need that the town is being overrun, and that the new energy shields those ghost hunters from Denver were offering to sell to us are a worthy investment."

Paulina froze. "Ghost shields?" she repeated. Mr. Lancer nodded.

"It not only keeps ghosts on the outside out, but also incinerates ghosts already inside its boundaries as well, making it the perfect defensive system," Mr. Lancer explained. "Unfortunately, it's also quite expensive, so as long as it seems ghosts aren't a major threat, we won't be ordering any. Now, if you'll excuse me…."

"They didn't do it!" Paulina said quickly, her voice echoing through the deadened halls. Mr. Lancer turned to her, confused.

"What?"

"Ghosts," she said, "ghosts didn't destroy the science lab,"

"Then who did?" Mr. Lancer asked, frowning darkly at the girl. "No one else is here, Miss Sanchez…."

Paulina bit her lip. "…I did it," she confessed at last. "I got mad that Mr. Poluka gave me a bad grade on my last test, so I snuck in here to destroy the lab. All that stuff about Beowulf was a lie."

Mr. Lancer frowned. "I'm not sure I believe you, Miss Sanchez…." he said crossing his arms.

"Well I did it, alright?" she snapped. "You've got a confession, you can punish someone now, what more do you need?"

_'She's lying about something…' _Mr. Lancer thought as he studied the girl's face. She had lied to him about everything so far, actually - why she was there, what she was doing… but confession to a crime she hadn't committed? That wasn't Paulina at all….

"Very well then," Mr. Lancer sighed, "come with me. We'll call your parents and discuss your punishment." Chin held high, the Hispanic girl followed her teacher. She wasn't acting guilty or proud, but merely as she always did. As if nothing was bothering her.

_'This could be difficult…'_

* * *

"…But I don't understand." Mr. Sanchez frowned. "Why would Paulina lie about something like that if it would only get her into trouble?"

"Usually, it's the opposite with her," Mrs. Sanchez added. "She lies and claims her _hermanos_ committed crimes she was responsible for."

"I don't know, Mr. Sanchez," Mr. Lancer said, "but as long as she withholds the name of the true perpetrator, we must hold her responsible for what has happened. Usually, a crime this severe calls for immediate expulsion." Mr. Lancer cringed as the cheerleader's parents paled. "But of course that won't be the punishment Paulina receives, as that may be a little too harsh." The couple relaxed, sighing in relief.

"Then what?" Mrs. Sanchez asked.

"A week of detention should do," Mr. Lancer decided, "and I'm afraid Paulina is suspended from cheering at the next football game."

The couple frowned. "We understand, Mr. Lancer," Mr. Sanchez said, standing up and shaking the man's hand, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience my daughter has caused."

"It's nothing," Mr. Lancer sighed. "I just hope we can see Paulina's behavior improve in the future."

The couple nodded and left. Paulina, who'd been sitting outside of the door, jumped slightly when it opened, looking up at her parents. Mr. Lancer frowned when he watched the family go.

While her behavior hadn't changed as drastically as Danny and his friends, she had undergone some changes since ghosts began attacking the town. Most obvious was her infatuation with Phantom, but there were other things as well.

Things such as the growing hostility towards Sam Manson, a girl she might've once considered beneath her, and the fact that she was even secluding herself from her friends a little more, the most surprising change considering the girl thrived on social interaction.

Yet, just like that Danny, Mr. Lancer could never ask her any questions about her problems because, like Danny, she would not confide him with any information like that. Mr. Poluka was right, teachers were considered untrustworthy by the teenagers today, no matter how much they wanted to help.

Normally, things like that wouldn't bother Mr. Lancer too much, but he'd been edgier ever since people began noticing how many ghosts attacks centered on Casper High. They were all still on thin ice over the Spectra deal, and Lancer never wanted to see his students being abused by ghosts again.

Too bad they were being so stubborn…

"Hiding ghosts attacks from us, keeping secrets that may put their lives in danger…" Mr. Lancer sighed irritably. "There are times I wish I knew what my students were thinking!"

Huffing and grumbling to himself, Mr. Lancer left to head out for his car. Maybe after a nice long sleep things would all look better in the morning….

The teacher stopped when he heard the throaty laugher of a woman he could not see. Shaking it off as nothing, Mr. Lancer continued towards his car, ignoring the playful whisper that reached out for him as he got in.

_"So you have wished it, so shall it be…"_

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**WoM- _There you have it! _'laughs sheepishly,' _Lame beginning, huh? It gets better, I swear! And for those of you who are wondering about Paulina…_ 'winks playfully,'**

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**Next update;** _January 27th_

_**See you then!**_


	2. Voiced Thoughts

**WoM-'jaw drops' _49 REVIEWS IN ONE CHAPTER!_'Faints,'_Wow! Thank you all! Anywho__You ever get that feeling like you should be doing or saying something important, but you don't know what?_ 'makes face' _Damn ADD…_**

* * *

"_I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."_

_**-Bob Hope**_

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**Voiced Thoughts**

Though he was no closer to finding the answer to his recent problems when he awoke, Mr. Lancer was in high spirits as he drove to school. He smiled faintly to himself as he hummed along with the opera he was listening to on the radio, obeying all traffic laws to a fault.

It was only when he left the safety of his car that he started having… problems.

At first he didn't think anything of the slight headache he was getting. They were common enough before he had his first cup of coffee during homeroom, after all. But it puzzled him that the headache got worse the closer he got to the school…

Then he opened the door.

**'Aw, man, I can't find those stupid notes anywhere!'**

**'Where's Tina? I have to tell her about what happened last night at the Nasty Burger!'**

**'Was that Test in Psych today or Wednesday…?'**

**'Oh, great, another late night. Ah, well, it won't be the first time I've fallen asleep in Lancer's class…'**

**'I can't believe my parents took away my cell phone! I totally was gonna clean my room later!'**

**'Whoa, what's with him…?'**

"Mr. Lancer? Mr. Lancer, are you okay?"

The overweight, balding teacher jumped slightly, wheeling around to face a concerned Jazz Fenton, her bleary eyed (but also a little concerned though he didn't want to show it) little brother in tow.

"Ah!" He said, wincing slightly, "Jazz! Danny…!"

"You okay Mr. Lancer?" Danny repeated his sister's question, "You look a little pale…"

**'And like you wanna climb up the nearest tree you can find to hide for the next month or so,'** The man stared. Danny's lips hadn't moved for the last one, he KNEW they hadn't, so why…?

"Mr. Lancer? Mr. Lancer!" The teacher jumped at Jazz's voice again, wheeling around to face the young scholar.

"Ah, yes!" He said, "Fine, fine! I just… I need to get to my classroom right now…" And without another word, the shaken teacher pushed his way through the crowd, the last thought going through his head his and his alone…

_'What on earth is going on here?'_

* * *

Two cups of strong coffee later, Mr. Lancer felt much better then he had during the first few minutes upon entering Casper. The… voices (Lancer cringed at calling them that, but a better, less crazy-sounding word escaped him.) had stopped and he'd almost convinced himself that it had all been a crazy, half-dazed dream.

After all, Jacob Lancer was a scholar at heart. He didn't believe in things like psychic powers and reading minds…

_'Then again, I didn't believe in ghosts either,' _He reminded himself bitterly, _'See where that got me?'_

The teacher shook his head, trying to dispel thoughts such as that. He didn't need to start doubting logic and reason now, especially since it made no sence that he'd gain the ability to read thought overnight without any grounds that Mr. Lancer could see…

'Urg, it's too early for class…' 

"Morning, Mr. Lancer." Mr. Lancer tried to turn his wince into a smile before the girl who'd just entered noticed.

"Mira." He said, "You're here early…"

**'Yeah, because David and Sandra are both out today doing God knows what and I have no one to talk to,'** The only response Mr. Lancer trusted was the casual shrug as the girl took her seat, all the while wondering bitterly what she was going to do for lunch…

One by one, Mr. Lancer's other students began filing in, their thoughts as loud as their spoken words. Sometimes even louder in the case of the three or four kids who never said a word.

Mr. Lancer bit back a groan when he realized he had already lost this battle.

**_'War of the Worlds,'_** He moaned to himself, _'Today is going to drag on forever…'_

* * *

By the time third period rolled around, Mr. Lancer had more then just lost the battle.

The battle had totally kicked his hairy back to the curve.

"Hey Mr.- Whoa!" Mr. Lancer didn't even look up as Sam, Danny and Tucker all faltered in front of his desk. "What happened to you?"

Sam's question was definitely a legitimate one. Mr. Lancer's eyes were red and bloodshot by now, his face pale and his appearance just a general mess instead of the neat, professional look he usually sported.

**'Man, Danny wasn't kidding,' **Sam thought worriedly.** 'A ghost didn't get a hold of him, did it?' **Mr. Lancer blinked. Ghosts? Why didn't he think of that sooner! It made perfect sence that a ghost was responsible for his current condition…

…The man flinched at what he'd just thought. God, what was he SAYING? Things like that ONLY made sense in a place like Amity Park. Actually, Amity Park was probably the only place it made sence…

Besides, even if it was a ghost what could he do? Going to Jack and Maddie Fenton was out of the question. There was only the slightest chance they could help, and absolutely no way they'd keep it under wraps…

**'Awesome!'** Tucker thought gleefully. **'Hey, maybe if we bug him enough, he'll finally snap and we'll get a free day!'** Mr. Lancer's eyes hardened as he made a mental note to show no mercy in the Tech Geek's next test, which was this Friday and one of the hardest ones he gave.

_'Redemption truly is sweet…'_

"I'm fine, Sam," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Thank you for your concern." Hesitating for a moment, the three of them turned to sit.

Nanoseconds later, Danny and Sam's heads were already bent together in a conversation only they could hear. Only Mr. Lancer saw Tucker roll his eyes when he saw them.

**'They must be talking about Poluka's lab,'** He mused, pulling out his PDA. **'Dunno why, though. I mean, it's not like there's anything we can do about it. It wasn't our fault it was wrecked like that.'** Mr. Lancer frowned, disliking the 'Look-After-Number-One-And-Let-The-Rest-Follow' attitude the Tech geek was projecting right now.

Just then Sam groaned good-naturedly at something Danny had said, hitting him on a shoulder. The boy laughed and moved away to avoid another blow and Tucker shook his head.

**'And they wonder why people think they're lovebirds…'** He thought dryly.

Indeed, Sam and Danny didn't make quite an interesting picture, talking to each other naturally, friends toeing the line of flirting with each other, though they either didn't acknowledge it or didn't know it. The first was probably under which Sam fell, and the second Danny.

_'Love is a difficult concept to grasp,'_ Mr. Lancer thought to himself, _'Especially for a teenage boy who's having difficulties sorting his own feeling out…'_ As if on cue, the door opened again, this time to the entrance of one of the girls at the center of the controversy on the muddled confusion of young Danny Fenton's feelings.

"Hey, Valerie," Danny said casually with a slight smile with Valerie returned eagerly.

"Hey Danny," She said warmly as she sat, "Did you hear about Mr. Poluka's room?"

**'Ten to one says a ghost made that mess,'** The girl thought darkly before shoving the thought aside to concentrate on her conversation. **'Ah, well, that's not my problem now, I guess. After all, it's way too late to do anything… might as well catch up with Danny.'**

"Isn't it a little early to be gossiping?" Sam asked, her tone a little tense.

**'Urg…' **She thought darkly, **'As if Danny didn't have enough things to worry about right now… and How much you wanna bet he still goes right back to her after everything that's happened.' **Mr. Lancer was almost surprised at the blatant jealousy the girl felt towards her rival, considering that she had ample time and opportunity to confess her feelings.

Mr. Lancer didn't have a problem with Valerie. She was a bright girl, motivated with a lot of potential to go places. But like so many other of his students, she seemed to be having problems as of late.

Mr. Lancer had assumed they'd go away after her father's job was reinstated, but instead it only seemed to intensify, to the point where she even broke off a budding romance with a boy she was clearly still attracted to.

Mr. Lancer rolled his eyes at that thought. The 'break up' Of Danny Fenton and Valerie Grey had been something of a Hot Topic for a while in the school gossiping circles, since no one, not even Valerie's closest friend, Star, had any idea what it was about.

Many people insisted foul play on the part of Sam Manson, threats, bribes, anything of the sort, but Mr. Lancer severely doubted that. Not only was it completely against Sam's character to do such things, but Valerie would never react favorably to either a threat of a bribe. Maybe at one point, before her father had lost his job, but not now that she'd discovered she could still survive without wealth.

She's even learned the value of hard work, something most girls her age never learned. Despite the fact her Father's old paycheck was coming in again, the girl hadn't quit her part time job at the Nasty Burger, preferring to earn what she needed instead of taking it as she once did.

"Ease up, Manson," Valerie said coolly. "We're just talking."

**'You're not the boss of Danny, you can't tell him who he can and can't be friends with, and I already said I wasn't interested in anything more then friendship, so what's the big deal?'**

"I can see that," Sam said just as coolly.

**'You honestly expect me to trust you just because of that? You hurt Danny enough already as far as I'm concerned. Why don't you just leave him alone?'**

"So what's the problem?" Valerie asked, glaring slightly.

**'It's better he get hurt a little bit now by me then a lot later by one of my enemies. Would it really kill you to admit someone else is worried about Danny's safety just as much as you are?'**

"I don't have a problem," Sam said, "Do you have a problem?"

**'No it wouldn't, but I'm not about to put Danny's life in someone's hands if I don't think I can trust them, and I know I can't trust you. Not with your history…'**

"Why would I have a problem?" Valerie asked.

**'What, you don't like me because I was popular before? Please, that ancient history, Little-Miss-Sally, and I'm a different person now. Besides, you expect me to believe you don't have skeletons in your closet?'**

"I dunno, you tell me," Sam said, crossing her arms.

**'Yeah I do, wanna join them?'**

"You two done?" Danny asked, looking between the girls with a slightly confused look on his face.

**'Why do I feel like I'm missing something…?'** Mr. Lancer shook his head, amused both by the boy's bewilderment and the show he was just treated to.

_'The female race truly is a fascinating species…' _He thought in dry humor as Sam and Valerie broke off their conversation. (Both verbal and non)

"Yes," Sam said, turning and starting away, her posture more unapproachable then ever. "I think we've said all that needs to be said." This was punctuated with one last thought from the girl on the subject;

**'AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!'**

**'Danny seriously needs to consider getting that girl a leash or something,'** Valerie said dryly in her head, **'She's gonna hurt someone one of these days, for no reason at all.'**

"Anyways, about the science lab? Yeah, we heard about it," Danny said, shooting Sam a look when she opened her mouth to add something. Sam looked annoyed for a moment before she reluctantly turned back away to let the two converse.

**'I really don't get what she and Tucker have against me,' **Valerie thought, annoyance and a touch of hurt working it's way into her mental tone, **'I mean, why on earth would I want to hurt Danny any more then they do…?'**

**'Can I call them or what…?' **She asked bitterly in her head as she glared at a wall. Mr. Lancer shook his head. Women…

"Good morning Mr. Lancer," Star chirped as she entered the room with her usual clique just as the final bell rang to get to class.

**'_'Good's' _not exactly how I'd describe it…'** A bored looking Paulina thought bitterly.

"Right there with you…" Mr. Lancer muttered.

"Huh?" Mr. Lancer blinked, considering the irony of the subject when he realized he'd accidentally spoken his thought out loud.

"Nothing," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Please take your seats, we have a lot to do today…"

**'Aw, man… even as a basket case the guy's still a freakin' dictator,'**

**_"Mr. Foley!"_** Mr. Lancer yelled, making the whole class jump as he glowered at the boy.

"What?" Tucker asked, bewildered. "I didn't say anything!"

"You sure you're okay, Mr. Lancer?" Sam asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Sam." Mr. Lancer sighed, "And just forget that outburst. Now then, if you'll hand in your assignment from yesterday…" Mr. Lancer jumped when he heard screams in the halls.

"GHOSTS!" Mr. Poluka yelled, ushering his class to the exits. The whole class tensed up as one, and there was a flurry of thoughts coming so fast and jumbling together so much Mr. Lancer couldn't differentiate one from another. He even thought he heard one about 'Going Ghost,' for a second, but dismissed that as confusing one student's thoughts with another's.

"Settle down!" The teacher yelled over both the verbal and unspoken worries. The verbal one's faded, but the unspoken ones only got louder in turn, giving Mr. Lancer another splitting headache. "Now then everyone head outside in an orderly fashion, running as fast as your legs can carry you,"

Mr. Lancer needn't have added anything else, most of the students were already halfway to the door as soon as the word 'outside' was heard.

**'But the weather's going to mess up my make-up!'** Paulina whined in her head as Star dragged her past Mr. Lancer. The teacher rolled his eyes and caught sight of one student who hadn't evacuated. In fact, he almost seemed to be hiding, waiting for the room to clear…

"You too, Danny," He said firmly. The boy winced

**'Oh, man,'** He groaned mentally, **'I knew I should've gone invisible when I had the chance.'** Mr. Lancer jerked to a stop.

"What does that mean?" He asked sharply. "How would you turn invisible?" Danny stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, sounding confused and a little scared, "No one said anything about becoming invisible, Mr. Lancer."

"But you just…" Mr. Lancer stopped, sighing, "I'm not even sure I want to know any more. Between Paulina claiming to destroy Poluka's lab and your strange behavior, it's a wonder I get any sleep as it is…"

"Uhh, sorry?" Danny said, sounding uncertain.

**'It's not like I'm trying to involve him…'** He added mentally as Mr. Lancer started to drag the boy down the halls again. **'I'm not trying to involve anyone else. Four people knowing is way more then enough in my opinion…'** Then a look passed his face, **'Wait a second…'**

"PAULINA said she trashed Poluka's class?" Danny repeated, his eyes wide.

"That's right," Mr. Lancer nodded. "She was in here last night, and claimed she was the one who destroyed the science lab."

**'That doesn't sound like Paulina…' **Danny mused dryly.

"What were you guys talking about before that?" Danny asked.

"Why so nosey, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer asked pointedly.

"I'm not!" Danny defended himself quickly, "I'm not being nosey!'

**'I'm just trying to keep innocent people from getting hurt…'** Sighing, Mr. Lancer relented, the sincerity of that thought winning him over. Who would've thought young Danny had a hero inside of him burning to get out…?

"We were talking about ghosts, actually," He admitted, "And a new Ghost Shield the city is considering installing."

"Ghost Shield?" Danny repeated with a frown, "What Ghost Shield?"

"Nothing your parents don't know about I'm sure," Mr. Lancer sighed. "Now if you're done, we need to get to safety before-!" Mr. Lancer stopped when his student seemed to melt out of his grasp. Wheeling around, he scanned the halls for Danny, only to find them completely barren. Mr. Lancer frowned suspiciously.

**'Perhaps I'd do well to keep this power for a while after all,'** He thought, **'It just may come in handy with finding out what's going on around here…'**

* * *

**WoM- _Well this one was a tad longer…_ 'sweatdrops' _It's obvious I had fun with the… 'conversation,' Between Valerie and Sam, isn't it? Ah, well, I did the same thing in Speech yesterday with this one girl,_ 'suddenly remembers Speech project she hasn't started,' _AHHHHH! Gottagoseeyanextweek!_ 'runs off'**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

epobbp

ShiroandFubuki

misaoshiru

Laughing Hyena

Truth91920

Fanficaholic

conan98002

dramaqueen07

PP. Bunny

Ghost Writer's Assistant

4everrandom

Jenelf

Happy Orc

Darth Frodo

ChaoticShadows

Inumaru12

My Eternal Facade

Firehedgehog

ur1crazedupfruitloop

dArkliTe-sPirit

the sleep warrior

fan

Light Dragon SunsSong

Anasumi

Paul Powell

I Brake For Ghosts

Missmeliss4251

SilverstarsEbonyskies

IwuvMyKenshyPoo

Insomniac Jaki

Petitio Principii

HarryGryffinGirl

JayJayde

AirGirl Phantom

* * *

**Next update;** _February 3rd_

_**See you then!**_

****

* * *

**ATTENTION!**

**As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Nick is threatening to cancel Danny Phantom after just three seasons (for the official statement from Butch, go here** http/ butchhartman. com/ forumIII/ index. php? act ST&f 2&t 7072&st 0# entry170905 _**without the spaces)** _

**Naturally, I'm one of the people fighting to keep Danny Phantom running, so I beg you to send in letters with my own to the following address;**

http/ butchhartman. com/ forumIII/ index. php? act ST&f 2&t 7072&st 0# entry170905 

**Cyma Zharghami **or **Marjorie Cohn**

**Nickelodeon**

**1515 Broadway**

**New York, New York**

**10036**

**USA**

**Attention: Programming.**

**_And to sign the petitions below (Again, without the spaces);_**

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ SaveDannyplease

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ fightfordanny

http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ DannyPhantom

**And don't forget to spread the word! With your help, we can save Danny!**


	3. Dangers of Love

**WoM- _YAY FOR WEEKENDS! YAY FOR HALF DAYS! YAY FOR NOT HAVING TO DO A WORKOUT TODAY! _'dances around gleefully then regrets it when her sides start hurting again' _Urg… Anywho, Glad so many people like this! Hope you enjoy this next installment! Now if you'll excuse me…_ 'Starts writing lines' _I will not end in a cliffie… I will not end in a cliffie… I will not…_**

* * *

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

_**-Winston Churchill**_

* * *

**Dangers of Love **

"Sam, Tucker, Have you two seen Danny?" Mr. Lancer asked as he came over to the two remaining members of the trio when he found them outside, "He seems to have disappeared on me,"

**'Interesting choice of words…'** Tucker thought, sounding amused.

**'He wouldn't believe us even if we told him,'** Sam scoffed. Then they both opened their mouths to answer at tha same time.

_"He's in the bathroom!" "He's looking for Jazz!"_

There was a moment of silence as Tucker and Sam exchanged glances, where Mr. Lancer raised an eyebrow at the teens.

**''Looking for Jazz?' No way Lancer's gonna buy that!'** Tucker exclaimed mentally.

**'We already used the bathroom excuse last Wednesday! People are gonna think he has a bladder problem if this keeps up…'** Sam thought at the same time.

"Sorry, Mr. Lancer, what we meant was that Danny went to the bathrooms to look for Jazz," Sam said smoothly. "He wanted to make sure she made it out okay,"

"How noble of Mr. Fenton to look out for his sister in a time of crises," Mr. Lancers said, a little cooler then usual. He didn't like being blatantly lied to. Sam and Tucker, however, mistook the tone to mean something else.

**'Urg… Why's he always gotta pick on Danny, anyways?'** Sam thought sourly. **'As if he doesn't have enough problems already…'**

**'Considering what Danny's done to keep everyone safe, you'd think he'd be cut a little slack every now and then.' **Tucker added in his mind. Neither teens said anything out loud, though.

_'What's that supposed to mean?'_ Mr. Lancer wondered for a moment before he walked away.

It seemed that despite his new 'power' he was no closer to finding out more about the drastic changes in his student's attitudes and behaviors. Quite the contrary, things were getting more confusing now.

And his head was KILLING him…

**'Was that Phantom?'**

Eyebrow quirked, Lancer turned to scan the sea of faces curiously for the girl who had had that fearful thought until his eyes landed on Paulina, who was staring intently into a window with her face pale and eye eyes wide and fearful. As Lancer examined her, the girl let out a fearful gasp.

**'It is! Phantom's in there fighting!'** She thought frantically, her eyes scanning around until they met Mr. Lancer's and she stilled, trying to look bored again. **'He can't know about Phantom! I won't let them put up those ghost shields, not if it means hurting the one guy in this town who's actually interesting!'** The teacher frowned.

_'So she was protecting Phantom last night…' _He thought to himself, _'But was he the one to cause all that damage?' _Lancer sighed. It didn't matter. Other then his power, he had no proof Phantom had done anything wrong, no physical evidence, and so long as Paulina laid the blame on herself…

"LOOK OUT!"

Alarmed, Mr. Lancer looked up and went wide eyed when he saw a ghost with green skin and white hair on a collision path with him, apparently unconscious. A part of the teacher's mind screamed at him to move, (Though in his shock, he couldn't even tell if it was his thoughts or the thoughts of a nearby spectator) but he remained frozen, rooted to the spot. He shut his eyes instinctively when the ghost neared, preparing himself for a painful impact.

Only it never came.

Opening his eyes again, Mr. Lancer opened his eyes again to stare at the infamous Danny Phantom, who was hovering with one icy cold hand still on Lancer's shoulder, having just made him intangible to protect him from the crash.

**'Well, that's one crisis eluded,' **The ghost boy thought, turning away to eye the fallen ghost warily. **'And now that the threat of a sub for the next month has been taken care of, it's time to take this loser back to the Ghost Zone before he can cause the school any more damage…'** Lancer blinked in shock, unsure of what to say or do was the ghost flew away.

"See ya, Technus!" Phantom called out, sucking the other ghost into a thermos. After he capped it, he frowned at the container.

**'I wonder what he meant when he said there was a threat to my secret?'** He mused, **'Not to mention his sudden interest in the Casper High Science department… Ah, well. He's captured now, and nobody got hurt. I guess I'll worry about the other stuff later…'**

_"Hounds of Baskerville!"_ Mr. Lancer roar, "What is going on here?" Phantom jumped, then cringed when he saw the teacher.

**'Aw, crud…'**

"WAIT!" two female voices cried out as one.

"He didn't do anything, Mr. Lancer!" Sam said, appearing out of nowhere right in front of Mr. Lancer.

"He was only protecting us!" Paulina started almost before the other girl had finished. "If he hadn't shown up, that other ghost would've fried everyone!"

**'Come on, Danny, this is your cue to leave,' **Sam thought, giving Phantom a pointed glare. This seemed to shake the ghost from his terrified stupor, and he hastily went invisible without another word, mental or verbal.

**'Please don't hurt Phantom!'** Paulina pleaded mentally, **'He didn't do anything wrong! It's not fair to kill him for wanting to protect us!'** Lancer went from bewildered over how the Goth knew Phantom and why she referred to him by his first name to mild shock at Paulina's heartfelt plea.

"Well…" Lancer sighed, "I suppose I can overlook things this time…" Both girls sighed in relief. "But don't think I won't keep an eye on that ghost. And the rest of you," He gave both girls stern glares at that, making them flinch before they walked away.

**'Urg,'** Sam thought miserably, **'I can't believe I just actually agreed with _PAULINA_ about something… Somewhere out there an innocent world just exploded in a fiery rage…'**

**'I don't know what that little freak was trying to do,'** Paulina thought at the same time, **'but if she thinks for one second that I'll let her be 'cool' because she defended Phantom, she's got another thing coming! I'M the only one who Phantom needs defending him! He doesn't need HER at all!' **Mr. Lancer blinked, stunned at the envy in the girl's mental tone.

Was she, Paulina Sanchez, the 'Perfection of Casper High' (Dubbed so by the football team when they crowned her Homecoming Queen) actually jealous of the less popular and more opinionated Sam Manson? Over a BOY?

_'Well, this is an interesting twist…'_ Lancer thought wryly as students filed back into the school. And in all honesty, this was a subject he hoped to divulge in further. _'Something tells me I'll be putting this new power of mine to good use…'_

* * *

_'…Just now right now…' _Mr. Lancer moaned out loud and resisted the urge to beat his head against the desk .Repeatedly. _'I'm not going down that road again, since Mrs. Ishiyama is still questioning my sanity as it is.'_ Though the English teacher couldn't help but wonder if she had a point…

He'd actually gotten around to the point where he was starting to enjoy his newfound power and the perks that came with it. He did notice that for some reason he still could not hear the thoughts of the other teachers and faculty members, but that wasn't an issue he concerned himself too much with.

It puzzled him, though, that he could not hear the thoughts of any teenager that wasn't in one of his classes, save the sole exception of Phantom. (Which baffled Lancer, since he wasn't even in the realm of the living.) Still, that to was ignorable.

Far less easy to brush aside were the loud, obnoxious thoughts currently running through the minds of most of the male half of his class as Paulina gave her presentation.

_'I forgot how vulgar the mind of a teenage boy could be…' _Mr. Lancer thought sourly as he glared around at the leering faces of his students, trying to block out the perverted thoughts the best he could.

"Thank you Miss Sanchez," Mr. Lancer said out loud, relieved to see the hour was drawing to a close. "Does anyone have any questions for Paulina?"

**'Yeah. Why do you strut around like a tramp when you know everyone's watching you?' **Sam though sourly. **'Ugh… what does Danny SEE in her? I mean, so what if she's pretty, that's not everything, right?'** Mr. Lancer frowned slightly at the bitterness in the girl's tone.

_'How ironic,'_ He thought dryly. _'Sam is jealous of Paulina because of the way Danny has a crush on her, and Paulina in turn is jealous of Sam because Phantom appears closer to her…' _

High school love lives sure had changes since his times…

Still, he hadn't realized how unhealthy the jealousy and rivalry was becoming between them. At the rate they were going, one of them would end up severely hurting the other in a fit of rage when they finally just snapped.

_'Unless they're forced to come to terms with their differences and get to know each other before that,'_ Mr. Lancer realized. Just then the release bell rang, and students rushed for the door. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he decided it was now or never.

"Paulina, Sam, a word please?" He called out. Both girls stopped short in surprise at merely hearing their names mentioned in the same breath.

**'Me?' **Sam thought, frowning, **'What did I do?'**

**'This had better not be about the lab again…'** Paulina grumbled mentally, **'Why doesn't he just let that die already? I mean, I already took the blame!'**

**'What's this about…?'** Danny wondered looking between the girls and Mr. Lancer as he and Tucker hovered at the door in hesitation. **'Sam never does anything wrong! …Well, at least she hasn't done anything major… Recently…'**

"Just Miss Manson, Danny," Mr. Lancer said with a pointed look.

**'Yeah, right,'** Sam thought dryly, **'He's probably waiting to ask Paulina out again…'** Oh yeah, this jealousy had to be dealt with immediately.

"I'll be fine," Sam reassured her friends when they still didn't move even after what Lancer had said, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you two later at the Nasty Burger."

**'Nasty Burger?'** Tucker thought, brightening. **'Sweet! I can try this new Mega Monster Meaty Monday Special!'**

_'Isn't that the one that isn't supposed to be safe for human consumption?'_ Mr. Lancer thought as The tech geek left with a 'See ya later!' to Sam. Then again, nothing on the Nasty Burger's menu exactly screamed 'Heath Food' to him…

Danny hesitated a moment longer before following his friend.

**'Ah, I'm just over reacting,'** He thought, **'Even if Desiree and Skulker are still loose, Sam can take care of herself…' **Mr. Lancer blinked. Who and What now?

"I'll order a salad for you," Danny said before he closed the door behind him. Sam smiled ever so slightly, her cheeks warming slightly.

**'That's Danny for ya,'** She thought in wry affection, **'Always looking out for everyone else…'**

**'Ugh…'** Paulina thought at the same time, rolling her eyes, **'Why don't they just start dating already and get it over with? That way there's less competition for Phantom…'**

"I'm afraid there's something we need to discuss, ladies," Mr. Lancer said, folding his hands over his desk.

**'Kinda got that much already,'** Sam thought, rolling her eyes.

"It has to do with all the fighting between you two," Mr. Lancer continued, deciding to ignore that thought.

"Fighting?" Sam repeated. "What fighting?"

**'No punches were thrown on school grounds that any teachers or faculty members know about, so it can't constitute as real fighting yet.'** She thought firmly. Mr. Lancer's concern over the matter grew at that thought alone.

"Yeah, Mr. Lancer," Paulina said, a pained smile on her face. "When have Sam and I ever fought?"

**'Eweweweweeeeeeew! I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with this loser about something!'**

"I'm not blind, ladies," Mr. Lancer said with a pointed look at both of them, "And I will not sit by any allow a problem to escalate. So, I think I have a solution for you girls that should help you find some common ground."

**'Common ground?'** Sam thought, a look of horror on her face, **'With PAULINA?'** Lancer didn't miss the shudder that ran down the girl's spine.

**'This had better be a joke…'** Paulina thought, blinking in stunned silence.

"It's no joke," Mr. Lancer answered the girl's thought before he realized what he was doing. "I want you two to learn that you cannot judge a book by its cover,"

**'If I wasn't so horrified about this, I'd laugh at the irony.'** Sam thought, still not saying anything out loud.

"I'm not asking you to be best friends, but I would appreciate less hostility in my classroom."

"Wait, what do you want us to do?" Sam asked at once.

"Considering your rigorous defense of Phantom a today, the first thing I'd like you to do is meet in this class every Tuesday to help us keep track of all the damage ghosts are causing this school and plot out ways to make it safer." Mr. Lancer said. Both girls relaxed.

**'Well, that doesn't sound so bad…'** Sam thought.

**'At least it has something to do with Phantom,'** Paulina agreed with the girl without knowing it. **'It might even be fun if I just ignore the loser while I'm doing it.'**

"And the second thing I want you ladies to do is stay after an hour every day you're not helping with the tallies and speak to one another." Mr. Lancer continued. "Your conversations will be taped and I will play them back for myself as I deem necessary, which I will if I think you two are shirking the assignment and just sitting in silence, but other then that you'll be completely alone and may talk about whatever you wish,"

"WHAT!" Sam and Paulina protested as one.

**'You gotta be kidding me!'** Sam thought furiously.

**'This is WORSE then detention!'** Paulina wailed mentally, **'Alone with HER for an entire HOUR?'**

"We could call your parents in as well, if you wish," Mr. Lancer said before the girls could begin to protest. "I'm sure they won't mind if instead you two are subject to stay at each other's houses over weekends, switching back and forward each week." Both girls paled.

**'No way,'** Sam thought with wide eyes, **'I'd die from a pink overload trying to stay in Paulina's room, and if she even gets within seeing distance of my house, it's be over my corpse! I mean if she meets my parents…'** Mr. Lancer frowned in concern, worried if it was healthy for anyone to get so pale.

**'That freak is not setting foot in my house!'** Paulina thought, **'And no way am I going to hers! Who knows what kind of torture devices she had hidden in her room! I'd never make it back home alive!'**

"I'll do it!" Both girls said at once.

"Anything but the sleepovers!" Paulina said hastily.

"Yeah, we'll talk about anything you want!" Sam agreed.

"Excellent," Mr. Lancer smiled. "I'll see you two tomorrow then. Oh, and Paulina? This experiment does not excuse you from your detention." Sam jerked in surprise.

**'Paulina has detention?'** She thought, confused.

**'Of course it doesn't,'** Paulina thought sourly.

"Yes, Mr. Lancer," She said out loud. Mr. Lancer smiled as he watched the girls leave, their postures tense and furious curses in his name running through their heads.

_'Well, this should be the first step to solving one of my problems, then…'_ He thought, amused. _'Now to move on to the rest of them,'_

* * *

**WoM- _See? That's not technically a cliffie! Ha! I CAN write without Sadie's input!_ (Though she probably got her fill from some of my other stories this week…) _Anywho, I'm very happy tonight, since I finally got my piece for the chain to save Danny up on deviantart _(See links on my profile for details)_! It even comes with the following poem;_**

_Our voices cry in protest_

_Of the loss we're told to face_

_But we refuse to end our hope_

_As this defense we brace_

_We will never end this fight_

_Won't rest until we've won_

_Why take the love that we all share_

_That only just begun?_

_Now we stand to face anything_

_For those we adore today_

_So hear the plea we beg of you_

'_Don't take our ghost away!'_

**_Kinda corny, but it gets the point across. Anyone who wants to use it for anything to save Danny is more then free to do so, but please give me credit! I worked when I wrote this and won't appreciate other people taking the claim for it._ 'glares threateningly.'**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Missmeliss4251

epobbp

the sleep warrior

Petitio Principii

Fey Phantom

Truth91920

Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum

Insomniac Jaki

lilnovelist

My Eternal Facade

VoicesOfInsanity

conan98002

ShiroandFubuki

Laura

littlekittykat

kdm13

Firefury

ChaoticShadows

Darth Frodo

Inumaru12

The Great Susinko

ur1crazedupfruitloop

Dance of the Soul

KingSimba'sBestFriend

The Sole Survivor

ilikedan

Flairi Blue

dArkliTe-sPirit

giggleaid

Light Dragon SunsSong

Firehedgehog

AirGirl Phantom

Laughing Hyena

Moss Royal

midnightgoth9

PP. Bunny

Ghost Writer's Assistant

IwuvMyKenshyPoo

puppyface

PFEA PheelyForEva

Gmasangel

The Unknown Alias

SilverstarsEbonyskies

4everrandom

kinguofdoragons

SquirrelGirl

Pocky Katze

CarmenElizabeth

avearia

* * *

**Next update;** _February 10th_

_**See you then!**_


	4. Red Flags

**WoM- _Hey, I'm not dead yet! Considering how much 'fun' Sadie had this week, that's an accomplishment if there ever was one…_ 'jaw drops' _OVER 100 REVIEWS IN THREE CHAPTERS! You guys are _WAY_ too kind to this pitiful, mildly psychotic fangirl!_ 'huggles reviewers' _Thank you all for liking this crappy lil story of mine so much! And let me say right here and now that after this chapter, I'm very, VERY glad my teachers can't read my mind…_**

* * *

"_Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen."_

_**-Samuel Patterson**_

* * *

**Red Flags**

"Oh, man, this is GOLD!" Tucker laughed loudly, earning stared from most of the restaurant. "You and Paulina trapped in a room together for an hour with no one else to talk to? That's something I'd PAY to see!"

**'I wonder if Tucker's gonna catch on that he needs to shut up before or after Sam shoves her large soda down his throat…?' **Danny mused to himself.

"Hey, think Lancer will let me put in cameras? And maybe a mud wrestling pit?"

**'After,' **Danny decreed mentally. Next thing Mr. Lancer over heard was a loud _'Thunk!'_ followed by a yelp of pain.

"Can't you show a little sympathy, Tucker?" Sam snapped.

"Aw, come on, Sam," Danny said absently, "What's so bad about getting to know Paulina?"

**'Hmm, I don't know,'** Sam thought sarcastically. **'Maybe the fact that she's a deceitful little witch that has you wrapped around her little finger.'**

"Tell you what," She said out loud. "Why don't we lock you in a room with Plasmius an hour a day and call it even?"

"Hey, that's not the same!" Danny protested almost instantly.

**'Not much of a difference from where I'm standing…'** Sam thought bitterly.

"Yeah, Sam," Tucker said, sounding amused. "After all, at least Paulina's all human."

**'I'm not putting any money on that bet.' **Sam said dryly in her head. Mr. Lancer was so alarmed, he almost didn't hear it, though. And this time it had nothing to do with his power.

_'What in the world did Foley mean by that?'_ He thought, glancing over at the trio's table curiously. _'And who on earth is Plasmius? I've never heard that name around here before…'_

"Tucker," Danny warned in a low voice, "there are people here,"

**'And can we change the subject?'** He added mentally, **'Vlad's the last guy I wanna talk about now… especially since the mere mention of his name seems to draw him sniffing around here lately. I've still got Desiree and Skulker running around, I don't need to deal with the fruitloop too.'**

"So?" Tucker said, sounding unconcerned, "We're the invisible, Danny. No one cares about us enough to eavesdrop." Mr. Lancer frowned, a little offended by that remark for some reason. Not to mention very concerned.

_'Invisibles?'_ He said mentally, _'Where in the world did they get such an inaccurate description of themselves? Sam is the cause behind every last one of the MANY protest in the school since she first entered Casper High, and Danny is still the most creative trouble maker I've ever met…. I still have no idea how he managed to break into the off limits boiler room and make the entire heating and cooling system go haywire last week… And as for Tucker himself, as loud as he is, one cannot ignore him for too long.'_

What concerned him just as much, though, was the fact that neither Sam nor Danny was protesting the appalling label. This was especially bad considering that Sam was always ranting about individuality and such, so you'd think she'd be the first to protest such a title.

"Maybe, but I don't want to take any chances." Danny sighed, "Especially after what Technus said…"

_'Technus…'_ Mr. Lancer frowned. _'Where have I heard that name before…?'_

"Come on, Danny," Sam sighed, "He's probably just trying to make you paranoid… psych you out so Skulker or Desiree could finish the job."

**'Yeah, right,'** Danny scoffed, **'Technus isn't much of a liar. He's too simple to come up with a whopper like that. There has to be something else here I'm missing…'**

"Hey, Danny!"

**'Oh, please,'** Sam thought, sounding angry and horrified. **'Not NOW!'**

**'Uh-oh…'** Tucker sounded uneasy. **'Better move before the fur starts flying… I have a hard enough time getting dates as it is without getting caught in the middle of a cat fight.'**

"Valerie?" Danny said out loud, sounding faintly surprised. "Wow, what are you doing here?"

"I work here, remember?" Valerie said pointedly, amusement coloring her tone. The children's English teacher frowned. He had known that Valerie had applied for an after school job a while back, yes, but not at the Nasty Burger.

"Oh, right," Danny laughed sheepishly. "I thought you'd quit now that your dad has his old job back…"

"Nah," Valerie sighed. "I don't want to mooch everything off my dad anymore when I can earn it myself."

**'I'm done playing the spoiled little brat,'** She added in her head, **'I'm a big girl now, and from now on I take care of myself.'**

"Wow, that's really cool of you, Val," Danny said warmly, "I don't think I could do it in your shoes…"

**'And the fact that Danny thinks it's cool is defiantly a bonus,'** The girl finished, sounding pleased with Danny's words. Mr. Lancer sighed. Why was it that the lives of every teenage girl in his class seemed to be centered around boys? Between Paulina, Sam and Phantom and Valerie, Sam and Danny, he wasn't sure with love triangle made him want to tear his hair out more.

_'I suppose this is the next issue that will have to be dealt with,'_ The Teacher thought dryly, _'But after things settle down between Sam and Paulina. Sam already thinks I'm out to get her as it is, forcing her to spend time with both her rivals would probably only confirm it in her mind.'_ Though a part of him wondered when the Goth's love life had gotten so interesting. As far as he could ever tell, she only had eyes for Danny, so when did this fling with Phantom come around…?

**'Uugh…'** Sam thought in disgust. **'They're doing it again…'**

"So, Valerie," the violet eyed girl said out loud, forcing herself into the conversation. "Did you sign up for the big trip to Hawaii?"

"Well, I was thinking about it," Valerie confessed, "But it might be too expensive."

"Too bad," Sam said, not sounding too broken up about it.

"Yeah," Danny agreed (Though far more honestly, in Mr. Lancer's opinion.) "I mean, we're all going…"

"You are?" Valerie said, sounding a little surprised.

"Jazz is one of the Senior Chaperones," Danny explained, "So I got in free and Tucker and Sam both paid their ways in,"

**'One of the many benefits of one of your best friends being the sole heiress to millions of dollars.'** Tucker thought cheerfully. Mr. Lancer coughed up the coffee he was drinking, his eyes wide.

_'Well THAT'S certainly news…'_ He thought dryly, glancing over that the four teens, _'And yet knowing Miss Manson as I do, somehow it doesn't surprise me as much as it should…'_

"At any rate," Sam continued, "It should be a fun trip. Sorry you'll miss it," Valerie's eyes narrowed.

"Well, I guess I'll have a talk with my dad and see if I can pull some funding, if you guys really want me to come." She said sweetly.

**'Don't count me out yet, Manson,'** She said internally, **'It might mean that I can't hunt for a long, LONG time, but I will make that trip!'**

_'…Hunt?'_ Lancer was honestly surprised. The girl never struck him as the nature type, after all, and hunting was generally a male sport. It also confused him that Mr. Grey would have a problem with his daughter perusing such a hobby. He couldn't have that much of a problem with guns, after all, being a security director…

Another thing that surprised him was the calculating challenges the girls in his class seemed fond of giving one another. All under the noses of the guys they like, without any of them ever noticing…

"Really?" Danny said, sounding happy, "Great!"

**'Oh yeah,'** Sam thought sarcastically. **'Super. Let's bring the ghost hunter along! As if she hasn't made thing complicated enough already…'**

_'…I couldn't have heard that right,'_ Lancer said, gaping pointedly at Sam before turning his eyes to Valerie, _'Miss Grey… is a GHOST HUNTER? Impossible! Damon would never allow his daughter to do something so dangerous!' _That when Valerie's earlier comment made more sence, and the teacher groaned softly to himself. _'_Sense and Sensibility_, what is Valerie thinking, taking up such a dangerous side hobby?'_

Valerie was far too young to take such a dangerous task upon herself. And how she managed to keep her little pastime hidden from the rest of the town baffled her teacher. Surely someone should've seen the signs and stopped her. If Sam, Tucker and Danny knew, then others had to know as well. Teenagers were horrible at keeping secrets from one another.

_'And why on earth would Sam have a problem with Valerie being a ghost hunter, anyways?'_ Mr. Lancer asked himself. _'After all, the Fentons are a family of ghost hunters, and she certainly has no problem with them. She and Foley practically live in FentonWorks…'_

**'Was that Mr. Lancer right now?'** The teacher jerked slightly at his name, his eyes meeting the baby blue scrutiny of Danny Fenton. The teenager looked surprised for a moment. **'Whoa! Creepy, it was like he knew I was thinking about him… but why did he groan just now? He's not listening in on us… is he?'**

_'Perhaps the boy has a keener eye for detail then I first thought,'_ the bald man thought to himself, frowning. No one else had noticed, after all. Even when he accidentally answered someone's thoughts out loud. He was just hoping the boy wouldn't say anything to his friends about his suspicions when Danny gave a sharp gasp, shivering for no reason that the English Major could find.

**'Not now!'** Danny wailed in his head, standing up despite his reluctance to deal with whatever his mysterious problem was.

"I've gotta go," He told his friend, hurrying out the back doors to the empty alley.

**'He's running off again?'** Valerie thought, sounding disappointed, **'Man, where the heck does he go all the time? I've hunted ghosts that are better at staying still then that guy!'**

"You know, one of these days I'm gonna find out why he runs off like that," Valerie told the others at the table.

"You do that," Sam said in a cool voice.

**'I can tell you right now you won't like the answer…'**

_'And I can tell you that I don't like that response,' _Mr. Lancer said dryly. It was obvious that unlike with Paulina, there was more to Sam abhorrence towards Valerie then just jealousy.

…Of course, that wasn't to say that jealousy didn't play a big role…

_'BOOM!'_

Several customers screamed as a wall exploded, and when the dust settled, Mr. Lancer was surprised to find a rather dazed Danny Phantom sitting in what remained of the rubble of the wall, a high-tech looking ghost in a battle suit hovering above him.

"I have you now, Ghost boy!" He growled. "Prepare to have your head stuffed and mounted on my wall!"

"Dude!" Tucker cried out, sounding horrified, "Some of us just finished eating here!"

**'Nice,'** Phantom thought sarcastically, shooting Tucker a glare, **'His concern for my safety is touching.'**

"Pass," The ghost child said out loud, going intangible. He appeared moments later right in front of the ghost, punching him out of the restaurant and following without pause.

Mr. Lancer's eyes immediately sought out Valerie, only to see her disappear around a corner. There was a flash of pink light from around the bend before the Red Hunter came flying out on her jet sled, peeling out in the same direction the ghosts had gone. Mr. Lancer stood with his jaw gaping as he watched her go with one last thought ringing through her head.

**'You're not getting away today, Ghost boy!'**

_'Impossible…'_ He thought, numbly as around him people panicked and scattered, _'**Valerie **is the **Red Hunter**?'_

* * *

Hours later in his small, simple home, the teacher was still pacing a path in his hardwood floor trying to think of what to do with what he'd just learned about Valerie. So far all he had figured out was that the thirtieth plank from his south side wall groaned when someone put too much pressure on it.

_'Should I speak with her father about it?'_ He asked himself. _'It should be his affair to handle after all… but if he wonders how I found out, what will I tell him? Should I lie and say I caught her in her transformation? No, I'm sure she checks before she does something like that, she'll know I lied and will get suspicious… of course, I can't tell her herself, either.'_ Mr. Lancer sighed starting to get a headache.

When did things get so complicated?

_'Perhaps all I need to do is discreetly keep her from fighting ghosts on school grounds?'_ he decided. _'Maintain a careful watch on her and stop her when she attempts to hunt a ghost.'_ It wasn't much, but it would keep her alive and out of harm's way.

Now on to deal with Danny Fenton and his friends…

_'What on Earth are they involved in?'_ He wondered to himself, _'And how did they know that Valerie hunted ghosts?' _Surely they weren't in on the whole hunting thing…

…Were they?

_'It does seem like the sort of thing they'd involve themselves in,'_ He thought dryly, _'Especially Sam…' _The teacher sighed. He knew that if he wanted answers, he'd have to be patent and wait. Especially since Danny was catching on to him already…

* * *

**WoM- _Lancer knows about Valerie!_ 'giggles' _I can't wait to get to the trip! And how much longer will Danny's secret last? Stay tuned to find out!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

ShiroandFubuki

Moss Royal

Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum

Firehedgehog

Tetsukon

Missmeliss4251

Truth91920

littlekittykat

BratCat

Darth Frodo

Firefury

Inumaru12

AirGirl Phantom

dArkliTe-sPirit

kinguofdoragons

Ghost Writer's Assistant

epobbp

midnightgoth9

Kairi7

Petitio Principii

The Sole Survivor

Laughing Hyena

sekamu

puppyface

Light Dragon SunsSong

Frommyheart

A Mere Servant of God

the sleep warrior

kdm13

My Eternal Facade

SquirrelGirl

Queen S of Randomness 016

memoirs of a faded memory

avearia

Pocky Katze

GhostAnn

Raving-Lunatic

wishing for rain

Kuki Salazar

Horselvr4evr123

xXcrazyidiotXx

* * *

**Next update;** _February 17th_

_**See you then!**_


	5. Detention

**WoM- _Have I told you guys how much I love you?_ 'huggles reviewers,' _Thank you all for being so generous! Here's the fifth chapter! WHOO-HOO! YAY FOR MID-WINTER BREAK! _'Celebrates'**

* * *

"_The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact than a drunken man is happier than a sober one."_

_**-William Shakespeare**_

* * *

**Detention**

"The usual rules for detention apply," Mr. Lancer announced to the silent room. "No talking, no headphones, no electronics, no cell phones, no passing notes. You can do homework, but only after you finish the four page essay on why you are here and what you can do to avoid committing that crime again."

**'Doesn't he ever get tired to this speech?' **Danny wondered from where he sat in his usual detention seat by the window.

_'I wonder how he'd react if he knew exactly HOW tired I was of it…' _Lancer thought dryly. Especially when it came to repeating it to Danny. 'Why can he not go a week without getting detention for some bizarre crime?'

"Any questions?" The teacher continued out loud. He received no response from his students other then a few cold glares here and there and an annoyed look from Paulina. "No? Good,"

Mr. Lancer took a seat again, pulling out a newspaper to pretend to do the do the crosswords as he listened in for any stray thoughts. This weeks detentionees were an interesting group, after all.

Other then Danny, who was a usual for crimes that ranged between tardies to completely obliterating Mrs. Ishiyama's office when left alone in it for three minutes. (Something that still baffled the students and staff alike. How someone as small and with such a slim physical stature as Danny could completely destroy the entire office without any sort of help or weapons was something Mr. Lancer still puzzled over.) And Paulina, who had never had a detention in her life, there were six other students in the room.

Valerie was one, and she was one of the ones glaring hardest at the teacher's bald head. She had been sent to detention by Mr. Lancer himself, for mouthing back when he's told her she could 'use the bathroom.' (She'd been planning on going after Phantom and some abnormally large meat monster,) Now, though, Mr. Lancer couldn't help but flinch at some of the dark thoughts she was projecting loudly in the confines of her mind, especially the threat on his life involving a pair of tweezers and his right shoe.

_'Can she really do that?'_ Mr. Lancer wondered, hoping never to find out first hand.

Sam had managed to avoid detention, but Tucker was in the seat right next to Danny, though his detention was over the fact that he was found by the cafeteria ladies in a pile of meat in the school freezers. He wouldn't say how he'd gotten there, and as far as Mr. Lancer could catch from his thoughts, it had something to do with a psycho lunch lady. Still, the fact that he remained closed lipped earned him yet another detention.

Behind Tucker, sitting in the far back, was Spike, looking as though he could care less what went on around him as usual. He's cut school completely yesterday, and was being forced to suffer for it now. Not that any of the usual punishments ever seemed to faze the silent and disturbingly pale and over-pierced teen, but the school had to try and enforce some rule over their students.

_''Try' being the key word,'_ Mr. Lancer thought, sighing mentally. _'It's difficult getting through to these kids now a days… especially after the ghosts became a problem in this town.'_

Next to Paulina sat Star, who'd been caught cheating in Mrs. Petakowski's class, a Math Teacher who showed no mercy to such a crime. Like Valerie, she was glowering at Mr. Lancer. Unlike the freelance ghost hunter, though, her thoughts were more whiney then vengeful.

The English teacher was honestly torn to which he preferred.

On the other side of his girlfriend, Kwan was busying himself with little paper footballs, which he was flicking at Tucker and Danny whenever he thought Mr. Lancer wasn't looking. He'd gotten in trouble for stealing something from Mrs. Ishiyama's office, apparently on a dare from Dash. Like the girls,. This was the first detention he'd ever received, being a first string football player.

Far more astounding then any other student there was the girl who took the seat Sam usually occupied right behind Danny, his sister Jazz. She was caught cutting class the same day Tucker was found in the freezer, and like so many before her she refused to say what the completely uncharacteristic troublemaking streak was about. All Mr. Lancer had found out from her thought was that she 'refused to betray Danny's trust,' and things such as that.

_'I'm becoming less and less reluctant to get more involved in whatever these kids are doing,'_ He thought dryly to himself, _'Whatever it is, it's clearly putting them in more danger then I anticipated…'_ The question was, though, why didn't anyone else notice anything? Their parents, for example…? _'Well, being fair, parents can't read minds,'_ The English teacher admitted reluctantly to himself. _'No matter how many time it seems like there's evidence of otherwise…'_

A sigh from Danny drew his attention back to his blue eyed captive.

**'I hate detention,' **He thought sourly, **'Especially with Desiree still running around out there causing all kinds of panic with her wish granting,'**

_'If you dislike it so much, don't get it.'_ Mr. Lancer thought sternly, before he comprehended the rest of the boy's thought. When he did though… 'Man in the Iron Mask…!'

"Wish granting?" Mr. Lancer repeated out loud, making several students jump. Worse of all was Danny, who snapped to attention to meet Mr. Lancer's curious gaze before the English teacher realized the slip he made.

"Huh?" Paulina said, her eyebrow raising as she gave the scholar an unimpressed look.

"Wish Granting?" Jazz repeated, "Mr. Lancer, are you-?"

"I'm fine," the teacher answered the unasked question. He pretended to turn back to his crossword, "Ah, here we are. 19 down, what are genies famous for…" The students exchanged looks before returning to their tasks from before. All except for Danny, who's gaze remained intently on his teacher.

**'Now that was just plain weird,'**He thought to himself, before he froze up and paled, **'Wait… did he read my mind or something?'** Danny considered this for a second before brushing the thought away. **'Nah… I mean, where does a high school teacher get telepathy?'** Mr. Lancer blinked down as his newspaper in alarm.

_'How is he figuring all of this out on his own?'_ The English teacher wondered, growing concerned. Especially when a smaller voice answered Danny's thoughts.

**'From the same place everyone else around here seems to get weird powers…'**

_'I'm not completely sure that's something I should be okay with,' _Mr. Lancer thought, avoiding the eyes of the teenager. Thinking about it, though, he supposed it was fairly normal for someone to have conversations with themselves mentally.

As soon as those conversations turned verbal in any way, shape or form, though, he was taking action.

**'Mr. Lancer hasn't been in contact with any ghosts,'** Danny thought doubtfully. **'…Has he?'**

_'Why is this boy having trouble passing his classes again?'_ Mr. Lancer thought, annoyed with Danny's keen interpretations. It certainly wasn't from a lack of observational skills, that's for sure. _'It's almost like he's used to figuring out everything on his own…'_

"Mr. Fenton," He said out loud, "Would you do me a favor?" Danny blinked, startled at being called out like that.

"A favor?" He repeated.

"Could you go down to the library and get enough dictionaries for everyone here?" Tucker groaned and Danny flinched slightly. Both knew where this was going.

"Aw, come on, Mr. Lancer!" Danny complained. "What did we ever do to you?"

**'Except help save your butt from getting killed by evil,'** Tucker added mentally. Mr. Lancer frowned darkly at that.

_'Then they are involved in all this ghost business somehow…'_ Mr. Lancer realized with a sigh. _'The question now is, how and how much…?'_

"Mr. Lancer are you sure you're okay?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

**'What was with that weird look right now?'**

"I'm fine, Mr. Fenton," The older man said automatically, "And I'll hear no complaints from you. It's no one's fault but your own that you're in here today,"

**'Actually, I'm pretty sure a psychotic ghost who wants to kill me and rest my pelt at the foot of his bed had something to do with it too,'** Danny thought pointedly, crossing his arms before he sighed and stood up obediently. Mr. Lancer's face turned green at that visual.

_'Is he talking about that ghost from the Nasty Burger?'_ Mr. Lancer wondered, remembering the mechanical ghost who had threatened to do something similar to that to Phantom. _'Does that mean Danny and his friends are in league with the ghost boy? It would explain why they defend him so vigorously, and why they dislike Miss Grey… well, it explains why Sam dislikes Valerie, at any rate.'_

**'It _isn't_ fair, though,'** Jazz thought, glancing at her little brother before turning back to Mr. Lancer. **'Danny has enough responsibilities with being punished for the good he does…'**

"Can I help him, Mr. Lancer?" She asked, raising her hand.

"No, Miss Fenton," the teacher said automatically, "I asked Mr. Fenton to do this, and I expect him to be the one who gets it done."

"But Danny got hurt last night, Mr. Lancer!" Jazz protested. Danny shot his sister a dark look at that.

**'That's not something he needs to know!'** The younger Fenton thought vigorously at that defense.

"Oh?" Mr. Lancer said questioningly, giving both of them suspicious frowns. "And how did he do that?"

**'…Okay, maybe that was something I shouldn't have said…'** Jazz thought, cringing slightly. **'Guess I'll have to lie my way out of this now…'**

"Yeah, there was a nasty accident with another of my mom's cooking experiments," Jazz explained with a nervous laugh, "Danny and I barely made it out alive!"

"I see…" Mr. Lancer said in an even tone.

_'Even Jazz is involved in this?'_ He thought, a little hurt, _'Surely she's smart enough to know the repercussions of getting involved in things like this…'_

"Very well, Miss Fenton," Mr. Lancer complied, "I'll allow Danny to have a little help… but not you. Steven? Would you-?"

"Spike," The pale teen said, annoyance clear in his voice as he stood.

"Spike," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Would you mind helping Danny?" Spike shrugged and stood up.

**'He's more tolerable then anyone else in here,'** Spike though irritably. **'Besides, at least he doesn't talk as much as his sister…'**

**'Aw, man…'** Danny groaned, **'Great. He was one of Jazz's old 'patients,' which means if he's anything like the other guys, this trip is probably gonna be painful…'** Mr. Lancer almost laughed as the misery in his students tone. Especially since he knew for a fact that Spike wouldn't hurt Danny.

_'Just goes to show you exactly how little people can trust first impressions…'_ The English teacher thought, bemused.

After the two teens had left (Spike bored and Danny very, very nervous.) Mr. Lancer turned his attention to the rest of his captives, feeling he could relax now that those blue eyes weren't watching him and figuring out his secret at an alarming rate.

_'And I've only just started to figure out his even with my power,' _Mr. Lancer reminded himself in self-exasperation, _'I'm not sure whether to be impressed or embarrassed,' _Shaking these thoughts away, Mr. Lancer turned to Paulina to listen in on what her thoughts were.

**'Uugh, this is so BORING!'** Paulina thought sourly. **'How do Danny and his friends stand being in here every week? There's so many better things I can be doing right now…'** The girl sighed wistfully, her thoughts drifting away. The next thing Mr. Lancer knew, the world was replaced with a vivid picture of Paulina being carried away by Phantom…

"SCARLET LETTER!" Mr. Lancer bellowed, making everyone jump.

"Mr. Lancer?" Jazz said, alarmed. The English teacher shook himself from his popular student's surprisingly flamboyant imagination, unable to restrain a blush.

_'Man Alive,'_ He thought to himself, _'If that's how the teenage mind works now a days, I'm not sure I want any part of it,'_

"I'm fine, Miss Fenton," He said out loud, still a little shaken by the surprise attack on his psyche.

**'Riiight…'** Tucker drawled out, **'Maybe Sam's right, maybe he really is starting to lose his mind.'** Mr. Lancer had to roll his eyes at that thought.

_'Quite the opposite, Foley,'_ He thought dryly. _'I've gained several others…'_ Before anything else could be said though, a loud scream was heard from down the hall, followed by a crashing noise.

"What was that?" Valerie asked as she and Kwan both jumped to their feet at the same time.

"It sounded like it came from the library…" Star added, looking interested in what was going on at last. Jazz and Tucker paled at that.

'Oh no…' Jazz thought, fear clear in her tone.

"Danny!" She yelled, jumping up and dashing for the door. Mr. Lancer stopped her before she reached it, grabbing her arm as she passed him.

"Everyone stay in your seats," He ordered, glaring pointedly at Jazz as he made his way to the door, opening it attentively. The halls were clear as far as he could see, and there were no signs of Danny or Spike.

"Stay in here," The teacher said, stepping out into the hall, "If something comes, call for me." With that, Mr. Lancer shut the door behind him, venturing down the hall to the library.

"Steven?" He called out, "Daniel? Can either of you hear me?" Frowning to himself as he reached for the library door, he added, "If this is another prank or yours, Danny…"

He opened the door, gasping at the sight in front of him.

Danny and Spike both sat on the floor amidst a pile of dictionaries. And both were staring in horror at the monster-like creature that loomed over them, acidic saliva dripping from its fangs as it growled at the teenage boys.

Spike looked fine (If quite a bit paler, which Mr. Lancer would've never imagined to be possible) But Danny appeared to be nursing an injury on his left arm with his right hand, a fair amount of blood oozing between his fingers and onto the floor.

**'This isn't gonna end well…'** Danny thought grimly to himself as the monster approach, **'Oh, man… what should I do…?'**

"Run!" Mr. Lancer yelled, grabbing a nearby volume of War and Peace and throwing it at the monster, who yelped in pain upon impact. Danny obeyed instantly, hauling Spike after him.

His students safe, Mr. Lancer found himself with a new problem when the monster turned on him.

_'Annabelle Lee…'_ Mr. Lancer cringed as the smell of acid washed over him upon the monster's approach, _'I'm in trouble now…'_ Then, as he closed his eyes to prepare for the impact, he could've sworn a strange cry reached his ears…

"Goin' Ghost!'

* * *

**WoM- _Don't gimme that look, I've got a lot more to cover and very little time right now!_ 'sticks out tongue' _you'll just have to wait next week for Detention Pt. 2…_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Truth91920, ShiroandFubuki, My Eternal Facade, Laura, epobbp, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Tetsukon, I Brake For Ghosts, Queen S of Randomness 016, Light Dragon SunsSong, puppyface, IwuvMyKenshyPoo, GhostAnn, ur1crazedupfruitloop, Shades-of-Pink, kdm13, SquirrelGirl, avearia, Moss Royal, The Great Susinko, Happy Orc, Pocky Katze, Black Mage758, Kairi7, the sleep warrior, Darth Frodo, memoirs of a faded memory, Ghost Writer's Assistant, animeobsessed3191, Rob Phantom, Lumias, Inumaru12, conan98002, kinguofdoragons, The Sole Survivor, dArkliTe-sPirit,

* * *

**Next update;** _February 24th_

_**See you then!**_


	6. Detention Pt 2

**WoM- _My break is coming to an end soon…_ 'Makes face' _Urg, school is NOT gonna be fun…_ 'sighs heavily.' _Well, at any rate, here's Detention Part 2 for you guys. Hope you enjoy it!_**

* * *

"_A best friend it like a four leaf clover - Hard to find, and lucky to have."_

_**-Unknown**_

* * *

**Detention Pt. 2**

"Goin' Ghost!"

Mr. Lancer didn't have time to think. He didn't have time to react at all when the monster closed the distance between itself and the English teacher, opening it's jaws to devour him whole…

But just before those jaws snapped shut again, a strange, empty sensation went Through Lancer's body, and he found himself being pulled into the air and away to safety.

**'At least Mr. Lancer's safe now,'** Phantom thought grimly as he continued to fly upwards, never loosening his grip on Mr. Lancer's shoulders. **'Now I've gotta take care of that thing before it hurts someone… I've really gotta find out where Desiree finds people who wish this sort of stuff up, too. It's starting to get on my nerves…'**

The ghost set Mr. Lancer down, turning him tangible again before his feet hit the ground. After glancing at the monster, which was steadily making it's way towards the two, Phantom gave the English teacher a nervous smile.

"You might wanna find cover," He advised. "This thing has acid, and I don't exactly carry spare Hazmats around with me."

"Yes, of course," Mr. Lancer agreed at once. Hesitating for a brief second, he added a sincere, "Thank you," before ducking behind a bookshelf. But not before seeing the look of surprise on Phantom's face.

**'Did he just thank me?' **The ghost though, surprise clear in his mental tone, **'Wow, that's a first…'** Mr. Lancer frowned at that.

Was the boy really showed such little gratitude for his fighting? He never really noticed before…

_'Then again, I did like to avoid all this ghost business,' _He reminded himself dryly. _'It's not my place to try and interfere with what they do and where they do it, my concern is with my students. Now that they are starting to play a more vital role in my student's lives, though, I've been forced to take action…' _The fact that he now had the power to read his student's minds helped too, of course…

"Okay, Handsome," Phantom called out to the monster, "You wanna tango? Let's take it outside!" the next thing Mr. Lancer heard was a slight scuffle, followed by silence.

Peeking around the corner, the teacher saw the coast was cleared. Both monster and ghost were gone. He sighed in relief before his face set in determination and he started for the door.

_'I need to get back to the classroom,'_ He told himself, _'If that think comes back again my students and I-!'_

"Enjoying your power?"

Mr. Lancer jumped at the vaguely familiar female voice, twisting around to meet the smirk of a ghost he'd never seen before.

She was pretty for a ghost, with long black hair that fell over her left eye and the garb of an ancient harem girl. But she looked cruel as well. The one red eye that Lancer saw held a sneering look in it, and her expression set the teacher on guard.

"Who are you?" He asked. Then he realized what she just said. "How did you know-?"

"I am Desiree," the ghost introduced herself with a humble bow and a pointed smirk, "The Wish Granting Ghost. It is my desire to bestow mortals with what they want most in this world. That is how I knew of your new power. After all, I'm the one who gave it to you…"

"Wish Granting Ghost?" Mr. Lancer frowned suspiciously. He didn't like the sounds of that… "Why did you give me this power?"

"Because you asked for it," Desiree said innocently, "It is not my duty to judge your wishes and deem them fix, merely grant them. You wished you could know what your students were thinking, so I gave you the power to do so."

"I see…" Mr. Lancer sighed heavily before he frowned again. "But why can I hear the thoughts of the ghost boy? He's not one of my students." Mr. Lancer could've sworn he saw a flash of triumph pass Desiree's face for a second, but it was replaced with a thoughtful, puzzled frown so quickly, the teacher decided he must've imagined it in his paranoia.

"Yes…" The ghost purred out as she circled Lancer, "That IS puzzling… I do not make mistakes in my wish granting, so the only reason you would be able to read the ghost child's mind is if he was in fact your student…" Mr. Lancer frowned.

"Impossible." He said firmly. "I would remember teaching him if he was, and I don't. I've never had a student named Phantom, and never has a student who died while taking one of my classes fit his description."

"I'd imagine not." Desiree said, "But what is his true name WASN'T Phantom? And what if he isn't actually dead…?" Mr. Lancer scowled.

"I don't have time for mind games," He snapped. "Get to the point, Ms. Desiree, or leave me in peace." Desiree grinned like the cat who just swallowed the canary.

"Figure it out," She told him softly, "When you do, I think you'll find a lot more about your precious school makes sence…" Then, with an ominous sounding laugh, Desiree was swallowed in a mist of smoke, disappearing before Lancer could question her any further.

_'Well, that was certainly foreboding…'_ Mr. Lancer thought dryly before taking off to find his students.

* * *

"Gather your things," Mr. Lancer ordered as he reentered the classroom, "I'm escorting you all off the premises. It's not safe here,"

He didn't have to say anything else. Students jumped for backpacks, purses, and any other personal items as the murmured nervously, both out loud and mentally.

**'When is this school safe anymore?'** Tucker thought dryly, **'Half the ghost attacks are on Casper High, since all the ghosts know Danny goes here…' **Mr. Lancer frowned at that, once again wondering exactly how deep into all this ghost business his young student was.

**'OhmyGod!'** Star wailed mentally, **'Why do these things always happen here anyways? I mean, Why not a library or something? Nobody is ever in a library! Nobody cool, at least…'** Mr. Lancer frowned for a whole new reason at that one.

_'My student's thirst for learning is truly touching at times.'_ He thought dryly to himself.

**'Why bother?' **Paulina thought in exasperation, **'Phantom will take care of it. He always does.' **Then the girl brightened slightly. **'Hey! Maybe I'll get to see him again!' **The teacher bit back a sigh as his students lined up.

_'I'm starting to think that 'obsessed,' is an understatement for Ms. Sanchez's affection for the town Ghost Boy…'_ He commented in his head as he watched the six students leave the room. _'Wait a second…!'_

"Six…" He said out loud, recounting and coming up with the same number yet again. His eyes narrowed darkly at that, "There are supposed to be eight of you! Where's Mr. Fenton? And **_Miss Grey…_**?" Jazz and Tucker exchanged glances as the teacher fumed.

_'She snuck out on me!'_ He thought furiously_, 'I can't believe Valerie's being so reckless with her own life! Her father's going to hear about this, of that she can be reassured!'_

**'Not good…' **Tucker thought grimly.

**'What do we say, what do we say?'** Jazz was thinking frantically at the same time. Spike beat her to it, though.

"Danny and I got separated coming back to the classroom," He explained to the teacher, "He was hurt by that… that thing that attacked us."

**'I still can't believe he took that hit for me,'** The pale boy added mentally, **'I mean, we barely know each other and he nearly got himself killed trying to save me! That kid's got more guts then you'd think looking at him…'**

"We can't leave before we find Fenton and Grey," Mr. Lancer told them sternly.

**'Looks like I might get my chance to meet Phantom again after all…'** Paulina thought smugly to herself. **'Now to ditch the rest of these losers so I'm alone when I find him…'**

"Should we split up, Mr. Lancer?" Paulina questioned out loud, "We can cover more ground that way…"

"No," Mr. Lancer responded, frowning slightly. "I'm not risking anyone else getting lost. Stay close, we'll go back to the library and-!"

"Are you crazy!" Kwan said, his voice squeaking slightly, "I'm not going in there! No way!"

**'All this ghost stuff is too creepy for me,' **He added in his head. **'I'm not going to the place that this thing came from, especially with three girls, one loser and a creepy kid.'**

"Don't be a baby Kwan!" Paulina snapped.

**'It's not like the ghost is even there anymore, so why bother crying about it?'** she added sullenly to herself.

**'Really,'** Tucker griped in his mind, **'I help Danny fight ghosts all the time, and Kwan's way bigger then I am. Though I am MUCH better looking…'**

Mr. Lancer wasn't sure what annoyed him more about that; the admittance that at least he and Danny were constantly in danger from ghosts attacks that they attempted to ward off despite their age and inexperience or the blatant narcissism.

"Stay close," He ordered. Sighing to himself, he asked, "Did Miss Grey say anything before she left the room (in complete disregard to my direct orders, might I add…)?"

"Not really," Star said absently, "She just freaked when Spike told her Danny was hurt and charged out."

**'Though what she sees in that Fenton freak I'll never know,'** the blonde added to herself. **'I mean, yeah he's kinda cute, but he's so weird, and his whole family is all total basket cases…'**

**'And knowing Valerie, that means right now she suited up and charging full force after Phantom again without stopping to think about what's going on,' **Tucker joked in his head. **'Man, I seriously wanna be there when she find out, just to see the look on her face…' **

_'Finds out what…?'_ Lancer puzzled. He shook the question off though when he reached the library again, with Danny nowhere in sight.

Which way did you two go from here?" The English teacher asked Spike with a pointed frown. "If we retrace your steps, we might find Danny,"

"We went out those doors there," Spike said, pointing out another set of double doors, "And we went down the hall and tool a left. After that, I didn't see Danny following me anymore." Mr. Lancer nodded thoughtfully as he and his students followed Spike's directions, Tucker and Jazz both looking a little anxious and everyone else looking wary or annoyed.

**'Please don't let them find out, please don't let them find out, please don't let them find out, please don't let them find out, please don't let them find out…'** Jazz chanted over and over again in her head like a mantra, playing nervously with her hands. Mr. Lancer didn't have time to wonder what she was so scared about them finding out, though, since a startled gasp from tar drew everyone's attention to the now pale girl.

"Please, PLEASE tell me that isn't what I think it is," She said, pointing a shaky finger at the floor. Looking down, everyone's eyes widened at the path of blood splatter that trailed down the hall.

"Like I said," Spike said grimly, "Danny was hurt."

**'THIS hurt?'** Jazz thought, going pale as dead. **'He's out there fighting that thing off when he's been hurt this badly!'** Mr. Lancer didn't even bother trying to figure that out, his concern for the welfare of his student growing even more.

"Oh, man…" Kwan cursed softly under his breath, his eyes wide as he looked down the hall at the path that led from the library to the other end of the hall.

"It's probably not as bad as it looks," Tucker reassured everyone hastily.

**'It never is,'** He added in his mind, **'And Danny's so used to being hurt by now, he probably barely feels it.'**

Mr. Lancer paled, feeling himself grow ill.

_'What are these kids thinking?'_ He wondered violently, _'They're far too young to be USED to being HURT!'_

"The… the blood stops here," Paulina announced, a queasy look on her face as she pointed to the corner Spike said he'd turned, "It's a pretty big puddle, too…"

"That means he stopped," Jazz clarified with a sigh.

**'He must've waited until the coast was clear, then doubled back to fight that monster that attacked him and Spike,'** Before Mr. Lancer (Who was growing impatient with the whole mystery.) could say anything to that, there was a loud crashing noise as the wall imploded on them.

Kwan grunted in surprise when he was hit by whatever had broken through the wall, sending him flying to crash painfully into the trophy case. There were several loud gasps when the dust cleared and everyone saw Danny Phantom sitting on the football player, clutching his head as he stood back up. Another loud scream later, Valerie came crashing into the ghost, dressed in her normal garb and thoroughly beaten.

**'Okay, maybe Phantom had a point…'** She said to herself as she scowled through the whole, **'The head-on thing wasn't the smartest move… but how the heck did something so STUPID deactivate my hunting gear?'**

"Moby Dick, Miss Grey!" Mr. Lancer exploded, his temper growing. Both ghost and ghost hunter jumped and turned to look at Mr. Lancer.

**'Busted,' **The ghost thought grimly, sympathy coloring his tone as Valerie paled.

**'Not good…'**

"Uh… I can explain!" The girl said hastily. She didn't get a chance to, though. There was a loud roar as the monster from earlier entered through the wall, more brick and debris falling as it made the hole even bigger.

"No time!" Phantom yelled, jumping to the air with an unconscious Kwan slung over his shoulder, "RUN!"

Nobody needed to be told twice. Mr. Lancer and his students took off as fast as their legs could carry them, Phantom matching their pace with his flying as he struggled to keep the larger boy from falling.

"Can't you stop that thing?" Star demanded shrilly.

"Nothing I throw at him even phases it!" Phantom shouted back. Star groaned.

"Of course all this happens on the first day I get detention!" She snapped, "I really wish I could be somewhere else right now…" There was a familiar laugh when the girl finished saying that and Phantom's eyes widened.

"Oh no…" the ghost boy groaned, "Not NOW!" But the boy's plea was useless.

"So you have wished it…" Desiree's voice said sweetly, "So shall it be!"

"DESIREE!" Phantom growled out in warning, but it came far too late.

The next thing Mr. Lancer knew, the ground had given way at his feet, and he was falling down what felt like an infinite black hole. He heard some of his students screaming, but didn't have the chance to decipher one from another when he suddenly (And painfully) met solid ground again.

"Ow…" Paulina whined as she stood, her eyes widening when she saw they were standing on a floating mass of land in an endless black and green sky filled with floating doors.

"Thanks, Star," Tucker snapped as Phantom flew down to them, setting Kwan down gentle as he landed, "Thanks a lot!"

"Is everyone alright?" Phantom asked, glancing around.

"I'm fine!" Paulina responded with a flirtatious smile.

'At least, I am now that YOU'RE here…'

"Where are we…?" Spike asked, looking around them. "What happened?" Phantom sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We fell victim to another one of Desiree's wordplay wishes," he told them dryly. Then, in a sarcastic tone, he added, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Ghost Zone…"

* * *

**WoM- _Well that was fun!_ 'giggles' _next chapter's gonna be lots of fun to write up, too _'grins evilly and rubs hands together,' _Until then, though…_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Truth91920, leilanisangel, X-Roosterrelli-X, SummersSixEcho, SquirrelGirl, Ytak, conan98002, Fey Phantom, Petitio Principii, My Eternal Facade, ur1crazedupfruitloop, midnightgoth9, SilverstarsEbonyskies, the sleep warrior, HoneyCreamSugarandSpice, Queen S of Randomness 016, Horselvr4evr123, memoirs of a faded memory, Pterodactyl, takkycat, BratCat, hikari lady, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, littlekittykat, Lumias, Gmasangel, Pocky Katze, Ghost Writer's Assistant, Firefury, Darth Frodo, Himig, Inumaru12, werewulf, Redwind, auenm, Kairi7, The Sole Survivor, DannyPhantomFAN#1, epobbp, ShiroandFubuki, RoseGirl from planet Pluto, Opusj, Flairi Blue, AirGirl Phantom, Zarmina, Moss Royal, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, kdm13, shadowspinner1, Firehedgehog, puppyface, Missmeliss4251, Golden Lunar Eclipse, dArkliTe-sPirit, sekamu, Mystic Dragon, IwuvMyKenshyPoo, kinguofdoragons, Knight of the Eternal Word, The Great Susinko, randomblondgirl, Light Dragon SunsSong, Phantomhobbitses

* * *

**Next update;** _March 3rd_

_**See you then!**_


	7. Creepy Complications

**WoM- _Gnah! You have no idea how much being grounded is screwing with my scheduled! 'sulking' I really can't stand my dad right now… Anywho, sorry this chapter is late! I hope its entertainment value makes up for it!_**

* * *

"_In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds."_

_**-Aristotle**_

* * *

**Creepy Complications**

**"WHAT?"** Valerie screamed, startling Kwan into consciousness, "What do you mean the Ghost Zone? What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Phantom said defensively, backing away as the girl advanced.

**'Why is everything automatically my fault, anyways…?'** The ghost thought sullenly.

"I didn't do anything!" Phantom repeated, "It was Desiree, the wish-granting ghost. She heard Star say that she wished she could be somewhere else, so the brought us somewhere else. The Ghost Zone."

"Well did it have to be here?" Star whined, "This place is creepy! Why couldn't we have landed in the Bahamas? I wouldn't mind being stranded in the Bahamas!"

"Stranded?" Kwan repeated, his face paling as he looked around, "We're stranded here?"

"We're not stranded!" Phantom said before a panic could start, "look, all we need to do if find the Fenton Portal and get back in through FentonWorks."

"An excellent idea Mr.… ah… Phantom." Mr. Lancer said, jumping in to agree with the calm, reasonable plan the ghost had made. "I assume you know where we are? Considering that you are a ghost and all…"

**'Isn't that a good reason to… oh, I dunno, _NOT TRUST HIM?_'** Valerie thought, glaring at the ghost boy.

"Sorta…" Phantom admitted, frowning thoughtfully and blissfully unaware of the plot against his afterlife now forming in Valerie's head, "But we need to fly to get to the Fenton Portal, and since you guys are kinda gravity-bound and I can only carry two people at once…" Phantom didn't get the chance to say anything else when Paulina suddenly latched herself around the ghost's neck.

"I'm ready for take off!" She said sweetly to the surprised teenaged ghost. Mr. Lancer blinked when a sudden surge attacked his mind coming from the girl's psyche, a strong feeling of affection. Shaking his head, Mr. Lancer brushed the feeling aside the best he could.

_'Well, that was abnormal…'_ the teacher thought dryly.

"No way," Valerie said shortly, "I'm not going anywhere with you! Why should I trust you, huh?"

**'You've never given me a good reason to before…'** She added bitterly in her head.

**'I still don't get why she's so hostel to him…'** Jazz mused with a soft sigh, **'And it's such a touchy subject with Danny and his friends that even Tucker won't tell me what's going on.'**

"It would take too long that way, anyways," Phantom sighed.

**'It's a good 45 minutes to the Portal from here, and If I'm only taking two people at a time and there's eight people here…'** The ghost made a face, **'Gnah! Too much math!'** Sighing, the ghost frowned thoughtfully, **'At any rate, it'll take too long, and while I'm taking anyone back home, that leaves everyone else defenseless in the Ghost Zone…'**

**'I bet he planned this somehow,'** Valerie thought darkly, glowering at Phantom. **'I wouldn't put it past the jerk to kidnap my entire class just to get to me…'** Mr. Lancer blinked curiously when the girl's thought trailed off there, before a wave of the girl's fear hit the teacher and taking him as off guard as she glared sharply at Phantom.

"What happened to Danny?" She asked harshly, narrowing her eyes in a silent threat. Phantom blinked back at her.

**'Well, this is bittersweet…'** He thought dryly.

"Danny's fine," He said out loud, absently, "He wasn't there when Desiree granted Star's wish, remember?"

**'Not technically, anyway,'** Jazz thought dryly, making her teacher blink, **'It's amazing how good we've all gotten at lying while still actually telling the truth thanks to this whole ghost thing… Especially Danny,'**

"Well where is here?" Valerie asked, her glare never faltering.

**'If he did ANYTHING to Danny, I swear I'm gonna…'**

"That doesn't matter right now," Phantom snapped, clearly losing his patience with the subject. Mr. Lancer frowned in confusion when he felt a large amount of discomfort coming from the boy. Why would talking about Danny make Phantom so nervous…?

_'Unless he doesn't want to reveal his connection with Danny to Valerie,'_ Mr. Lancer realized. _'Perhaps he does not want to endanger Danny and Valerie's friendship with his presence, despite the fact that if Valerie ever found out there was a connection, she could use it against him…'_ Mr. Lancer wasn't sure whether to admire the ghost's faith in his friend (Or at least, Lancer was starting to assume Danny and Phantom were friends…) or roll his eyes at the stupidity of such blind trust.

Not that he thought Danny would reveal his relationship with Phantom to the young ghost huntress, but it was still a rather dangerous risk to take. So much could go so wrong in that kind of situation, why would the ghost take that chance?

"I've got it!" Tucker exclaimed out of nowhere, making several people jump. "SAM!"

**'…Huh?'**

"What are you talking about?" Phantom asked with a baffled expression as Tucker dug through his pockets and pulled out his ever-present PDA.

"Sam didn't have detention today," Tucker explained to the ghost boy, "So she can go over to FentonWorks and get the Specter Speeder and come pick us up!" Phantom brightened at that.

**'Hey, that's not a bad idea!'** He thought to himself before frowning slightly, **'Wait, hang on…'**

"But the Specter Speeder can only hold four people max," He reminded Tucker with a thoughtful look. "And even if I carry two people, That still leaves three people here alone," Tucker's face fell at that.

**'Didn't think of that…' **He admitted in his head.

"Well, think you can ask somebody?" Jazz asked, motioning around her, "I mean, there are ghost all over the place here! Maybe you'll catch someone in a good mood and they'll give us a hand,"

"Another excellent idea," Mr. Lancer broke in, "As a matter of fact, allow me to accompany you as you do so, Mr. Phantom."

**'Huh?'** Phantom thought, shock flickering across his face.

"Uh, I don't think that's a very good idea, Mr. Lancer…" He said cautiously.

**'It's gonna be hard enough getting a ghost to help me without dragging Mr. Lancer along,'** The ghost added in his mind. **'I mean, if he says the wrong thing, We'll both be put into danger and if I have to fight one ghost, the others will hear about it and take off before I could even ask them!'** Phantom blinked thoughtfully here, **'Hey, wow… I never realized before that the Ghost Zone has an etiquette…'**

"Be that as it may," I told the ghost firmly, "It's my job as an educator to look after my young disciples. That means making sure that they get out of here safely, by any means necessary."

**'Why do teachers like to use so many big words?'** Phantom wondered irritably for a second before he sighed in defeat.

"Well, I can't take everyone, and if we go too far then everyone here's gonna be totally defenseless," Phantom reminded Mr. Lancer. Valerie shot the ghost a scowl.

**'He said that on purpose to remind me I don't have my weapons,'** She thought sullenly, **'I know he did!'**

"Never fear, dude!" Tucker said vigorously, thrusting his hand into his pocket to pull out what looked like a container of-

"Is that lipstick?" Star asked, giving Tucker a strange look. Phantom, only the other hand, stared at the small tube for a second before groaning.

**'Oh man…'** He thought in a helpless sort of way.

"Where did you get that?" He asked, sounding annoyed.

"And why are you keeping it?" Jazz asked, raising an eyebrow.

**'That's just a little creepy in my book,' **She added in her head, **'And considering that my entire family fights ghosts for a living, that's gotta be saying something,'**

"I kept it after the Spectra thing at the hospital," Tucker explained. "I mean, you never know, right?"

"You're a freak, Foley," Kwan said, gaping at Tucker, "What kind of guy carries LIPSTICK on him?"

"Kwan!" Mr. Lancer said in warning.

"It's not lipstick!" Tucker said defensively, "Its an ecto-blaster Mrs. Fenton made!"

"Really?" Paulina said, sounding intrigued.

**'Wow…' **She thought to herself, **'Ghost-proof make-up… that's not something you see every day… Though something like that would probably make kissing a lot harder…'** Mr. Lancer wasn't in the frame of mind to even fathom why the girl would be considering something like that in their current situation.

"You're still a freak…" Kwan muttered.

"Not important," Phantom said with an impatient sigh. "And the longer we stand around talking about stupid stuff, the more chance of Skulker or someone coming along and blasting us into next year!"

"I'll take that," Valerie said, snatching the small weapon from Tucker, "You're gonna call Sam and ask her for help, right?"

"Huh?" Tucker blinked before his eyes widened and he laughed meekly, "Oh! Right! Sam!"

"And in the meantime, Mr. Phantom and I will secure some aid, right Mr. Phantom?"

"Uh, okay?" Phantom said, gaping.

**'…Did he just call me MR. PHANTOM…?' **The ghost thought, **'That's a little creepy…'**

_'He's a paranormal being and he finds being called 'Mr.' Creepy?'_ Mr. Lancer wondered, smirking a little at the irony of that.

"You guys wait here," Phantom told the teenagers as he picked Mr. Lancer up by the upper arms and started to fly away. "We'll be back as soon as we can with help. And if anything approaches you guys- and I mean ANYTHING- scream. We'll try to stay in hearing distance, got it,"

"We'll be fine, okay?" Valerie snapped, "Now go so we can get out of here already!"

"Don't yell at him!" Paulina said defensively, "He doesn't have to help us, you know!" In her mind, she called the ghost hunter some things in Spanish that Mr. Lancer was certain wasn't proper language for a young woman to be using.

_'Well, I suppose the fact that she's keeping then to herself merits some credit…'_ He thought dryly as he and the ghost flew away. He glanced at Phantom's serious face as the ghost boy started listing off all the ghosts he knew and weighing the chance that they'd help him, also casually revealing some disturbing facts about his life Mr. Lancer never knew. _'At any rate, this trip should be very eventful…'_

* * *

"Great, I can't believe that little brat turned us out like that!" Phantom snapped, steaming as he slammed the door of another ghost's lair.

"'Turned us out' is putting it mildly, don't you think?" Mr. Lancer asked, still a little shaken by the last paranormal encounter he and the ghost had had. "Can all ghosts do that?"

"Nah," Phantom sighed absently as he flew off to another door, "Most will do without all the lighting. That wasn't really dangerous, anyways. Just for show more then anything. He was a pushover ghost. Still, didn't give him any reason to be so rude…

"I… ah… I see…"

_"When I die, I am never, EVER becoming a ghost,'_ The teacher promised himself sternly, suppressing a shudder of horror at the thought of actually living in such a chaotic realm as the Ghost Zone, _'How does Phantom put up with it…?'_

"What about that one?" The teacher asked out loud, nodding towards another door, this one a large black one with blue and white flames stenciled on it. Phantom glanced at it before frowning and shaking his head.

"No way," He said firmly.

'That's Ember's place,' He added in his head, 'There's n way she'd help me, not in a million years…' Ember? Why did that name seem so-?

'The Three Musketeers!'

"EMBER MCLAIN?" The teacher exclaimed, "That pompous singer? SHE'S A ghost? I knew she was bead news, but I never thought-!" Mr. Lancer cut himself off when Phantom's grip tightened on his arms.

"How did you know I was thinking about Ember?" He asked, his tone sharp and suspicious.

**'That CAN'T be a coincidence!'** He added furiously in his head, and though the look he was giving the teacher was guarded and carefully unreadable, Mr. Lancer could feel the fear rolling off of him.

The ghost boy was actually scared of him, Mr. Lancer.

_'This is ironic…'_ The teacher couldn't help but think before he began speaking.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He told the ghost boy, not meeting his eyes.

**'Bull,'** Phantom though, his fear giving way to anger. Out of the scorner of his eye, Mr. Lancer saw a suppressed scowl work it's way across the boy's face. **'At the Nasty Burger, at school, here…'**

"You can read minds!"

It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. The Ghost Boy of Amity Park knew of Mr. Lancer's new ability, and he was clearly irritated by it. To say nothing of the questions now running through his head.

**'When did he get telepathy? How long has he had it? Does anyone else know about it,'** Paling even more, he added, 'Wait… how much has he heard? He can't know, can he?'

"That is entirely none of your business," Mr. Lancer said firmly, "But while we are on the subject, I have a question for you, Mr. Phantom. Why is it that despite the fact that I am limited to hearing only the thoughts of my students, I can still hear your thoughts loud and clear?' Phantom blinked at the teacher at that.

**'Wait, so he doesn't know yet?'** the ghost thought, brightening slightly before the look fell away, **'Aw, crap…'**

"Ah…I, uh…" Phantom stammered out.

**'What to say, what to say…!'**

"Don't bother, Mr. Phantom," Mr. Lancer sighed, "Not if it's going to end up being a lie." The ghost looked surprised and a little annoyed at that.

**'Well way to make me feel guilty…'** He thought sullenly, and Mr. Lancer could feel the guilt that the boy spoke of before he sighed loudly.

"It's not like that, okay?" He said loudly, "It's… complicated." Then, with a slight frown, Phantom asked the teacher, "How can you read minds now, anyways?"

Mr. Lancer, luckily, was spared answering by a new arrival.

"Sir Phantom?"

The ghost boy jumped at the new voice, blinking when he turned to the source.

"DORA?" He said, shock clear in his tone, the young medieval female smiled back.

"I thought that was you, Sir Phantom," She said warmly, "What business brings you so far into the Ghost Zone?" Phantom blinked at her before his mouth spread into a wide grin.

**'Hey, I can use this!'** He thought brightly.

"Boy am I glad to see you, Dora," He told the female ghost, earning a look of surprise, "There was a bit of a problem with Desiree, and now I've got a whole group of detentionees stuck here in the Ghost Zone and no way to get them out,"

"Oh?" Dora said, sounding interested, "How many?"

"Eight, including Mr. Lancer here," Phantom sighed, "Sam's coming with the Specter Speeder right now, so that should take care of transportation for three of them, but even if carry two that still leaves three here by themselves. So I was wondering…?"

"If I would help?" Dora finished, smiling again, "Certainly, Mr. Phantom. On one condition…"

"Which is…?" Phantom asked suspiciously.

"I'm afraid that the Yearly Ghost Zone Gathering is coming up soon, and I'm still rather date-less," Dora explained, "If it wouldn't be asking too much for you to secure me a consort…?"

"Matchmaker?" Phantom asked, clearly surprised, "You want me to play matchmaker?"

**'Well that's a new one…'**

"If It's not asking too much of you, of course," Dora repeated herself hastily, "I won't mind of the gentleman is human, either."

"Really…?" Phantom looked thoughtful.

**'Well, it probably won't take too much to get Tuck to go…'** he thought to himself, **'Besides, if I have to, I can always resort to blackmail.'** Mr. Lancer shot the ghost a disapproving frown at that, earning a sheepish grin as the boy remembered his power before he turned back to Dora.

"Deal!" He said, holding out a hand to shake with the ghost.

"Wonderful!" Dora said with a wide smile as she took the ghost boy's hand, "And will you be attending this event, Sir Phantom? Surely you're received your invitation already, as it is a time of truce between all ghosts, even half…" The girl trial of as Phantom shook his head furiously, motioning towards Mr. Lancer and making her eyes widen. "Ah, Half… formed! Half formed, yes, quite a shame that you're still in your first year as a ghost and have not yet learn to hold a steady form!" The girl laughed nervously, and the teacher frowned, sensing the lie in her words.

_'Why did I have to limit myself to my students?'_ he asked himself dryly

"Anyways, we should go," Phantom said pointedly, "Sam's probably gotten back to the others by now, so they're waiting for us,"

"Lead the way, Sir Phantom," Dora said with a smile.

**'As soon as I find the time, I've really gotta ask her why she calls me 'sir' now…' **Phantom thought wryly, **'Still, it's better then what other ghosts are calling me, I'd bet.'** Mr. Lancer blinked at that.

_'Phantom is an outcast among his fellow ghost?'_ He wondered, studying the ghost, _'Interesting…'_

That was when the three of them heard the scream.

**'Oh, man…'** Phantom thought, his eyes widening, **'That was Paulina!'**

* * *

**WoM- _I'm really tired right now and in a bad mood because of my dad, so please don't start with me, kay? I'll get next chapter up on time (Hopefully) so please be patent with me!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

SilverstarsEbonyskies, My Eternal Facade, Queen S of Randomness, Light Dragon SunsSong, Firefury, Raving-Lunatic, Kikiness, shadow929, werewulf, Moss Royal, Laura, Paul Powell, GhostAnn, Halfa-NariMaruko, kinguofdoragons, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, AirGirl Phantom, epobbp, Golden Lunar Eclipse, Phantomhobbitses, CarmenElizabeth, Mystic Dragon, purpledog100, The Sole Survivor, conan98002, BratCat, Darth Frodo, Horselvr4evr123, Zuzanny, Inumaru12, SquirrelGirl, dArkliTe-sPirit, Reviewer, Ohka Breynekai, puppyface, Sukira-chan, Frommyheart, steven, midnightgoth9, Leesa, Ghost Writer's Assistant, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, fish n chips n vinegar, littlekittykat, Redwind, Insomniac Jaki, Pocky Katze, the sleep warrior, The Outdated Reviewer, chocolatemercury, Erebus Faustus, livinglife, Catmedium, Truth91920, Pterodactyl, Petitio Principii, Fade, Firehedgehog, WolfDaughter, Lumias, Kagome lover, ilikedan, Writer's-BlockDP, The Great Susinko, Erica Clayton, black curtains, Invader Johnny, dante hunter, RoseGirl from planet Pluto, Black Mage758, kdm13, ShadowDog34, pippy32388, peppymint

* * *

**Next update;** _March 10th_

_**See you then!**_


	8. Suspicions

**WoM- I LIVE!_ Been a while, huh? _'makes a face'_ I'm really, really, REEEEEEALLY Sorry this update took so FREAKIN' long! I've been busy with so many different things lately! Believe me, I have NOT been having any fun with all the chaos going on, so right now I'm just glad I found time to post this story. After this, though, I'm going to head back to FCA to finish that off before coming back to this one. There's only three chapters of FCA left, and this story's only gonna be 14 chapters long (Meaning it's already a little over halfway done) Don't worry, there's still plenty of Drama left for Mr. Lancer and his students to suffer through… 'grins evilly' Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better do something about SoS before the fans come through with all those mob threats…_**

* * *

_(Danny Phantom is slowly changing back to Danny Fenton; his pants change into jeans)_  
**Danny:** _(Whispering to himself)_ Oh, great. I'm losing so much power I'm reverting back to --  
**Dash:** Hey, what's with your pants?  
**Danny:** _(Nervously)_ Uh, it's... casual... Friday?  
**Dash:** _(Scratching his head)_ Today's Tuesday.

* * *

**Suspicions**

"Paulina!" Phantom yelled, his eyes widening as more shouting followed the girl's scream. "Oh man, something must be attacking them!" Mr. Lancer didn't have time to brace himself for the breakneck speed Phantom was traveling not seconds later, doing his best to keep himself from having an unfortunate reencounter with the Nasty Burger he had at lunch.

_'Carmilla!'_ Mr. Lancer thought, closing his eyes tightly and gritting his teeth. _'How does Phantom endure this?' _

"Sir Phantom!" Dora called out as she flew alongside them. "Do you require assistance? My armies in Medieval Ghost Zone-!"

"No time!" Phantom shouted back, increasing his speed (though Lancer couldn't conceive how such was possible). "I'll just have to take them on my…" Phantom slowed to a stop then, gaping dumbly as the scene below them before groaning loudly in exasperation.

**'I don't believe this…'** he thought, sighing heavily. Mr. Lancer found himself in agreement with the ghost as he took in what was sure to become the source of his next big headache…

"What'd you just call me, you little-!"

"Sam!" Tucker grunted as he tried to pull the goth girl off of the cheerleader. "Wrong time and place!"

"You heard me you tramp!" Paulina screeched back as she kicked at Sam, screaming something in Spanish Mr. Lancer didn't understand. Her tone, though, suggested that the word was highly insulting.

"Oh that's it!" Sam growled, ripping herself from Tucker's grasp to jump the girl again, "I'm gonna-!"

"Sam!" Phantom yelled, flying into the fight, setting Mr. Lancer down and grabbing the girl so he could wrench her away easily and dragging her (kicking and beating on his arms) a good distance from the pretty Hispanic girl. "Jeeze, Sam! Calm down for a second!"

**'Easy for him to say,'** Sam thought bitterly, though she did stop hitting him. Still, her hateful glare at Paulina never relented, nor did the dark scowl the cheerleader shot back after she wiped her bleeding lip.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Lancer demanded in the most severe voice he could muster, glowering around at his students. All of them hastily cleared their faces as they stood in complete silence.

On the surface, at any rate.

**'Paulina had it coming,' **Valerie thought firmly. **'She was way out of line, calling Sam things like that. Though why Sam would get mad about Paulina talking about Phantom of all people I have no idea… I mean, she likes Fenton, right?' **

**'Who does that little loser think she is!'** Star thought at the same time, scowling at Sam. **'Paulina's had dibs on Phantom for a long time now, so she had every right to tell the goth freak to back off!'**

**'No fair…' **Kwan sulked, **'I mean, did they have to break up the catfight just when it was getting good? Besides, everybody knows this fights been brewing for a while, with the way Paulina flirts with Fenton…'**

**'This whole thing is stupid,'** Spike snorted disdainfully. **'I mean, two chicks who are completely different fighting over the exact same guy? A dead guy who probably isn't interested anyways? Man…'**

**'I've never seen Sam get so mad before…'** Jazz mused to herself. **'Then again, Paulina was being really snotty… and Sam does take a greater offence whenever someone starts talking about Danny. ESPECIALLY when it's Paulina who's talking…'**

Once again, Mr. Lancer found himself admiring his fifth period Advanced Mythology and Folklore Student (available to all students with a 3.5 GPA or higher) for her keen insight and observations.

**'She's going to become a very good psychologist some day,'** Mr. Lancer noted with some pride. Glancing over to the ghost and the girl he was still restraining, he added, **'Perhaps she could even offer me a little bit of help in trying to sort this whole chaotic mess out…'**

**'What the heck was up with that?'** Phantom wondered, frowning down at the goth in his arms, **'Sam is always preaching about non-violence and peace, so why'd she attack Paulina like that?'**

"Well? Is anyone going to talk, or am I going to have to assign you all another detention?" Mr. Lancer demanded sharply. That made Star (who clearly had enough detentions to last her a good long time,) spring into action.

"It was all Sam's fault, Mr. Lancer!" Star whined, pointing at the goth. "She started it! She attacked Paulina, right Kwan?"

"I didn't say I wanted you to start pointing fingers, Star," Mr. Lancer snapped. "I want to know what happened!" Though honestly, the teacher was starting to get a pretty good idea…

"That doesn't matter," Phantom sighed, "We need to get out of here before something really does attack us… Jazz, Sam, Tucker, you three stay in the Specter Speeder. Mr. Lancer, you should probably go with them. Dora, how many people can you hold after you transform?"

"Of these children?" The ghost woman frowned thoughtfully. "Around three or four, I suppose…"

"Good." Phantom sighed in relief, turning to face Kwan, Star, Valerie and Spike. "In that case, you four can go with Dora. Paulina-"

"I'm with you, right?" Paulina cut him off, her face glowing as she latched herself to the ghost boy's arm. Sam scowled darkly.

**'Of course…'** she thought sullenly.

"Yeah," Phantom sighed, "you're with me." Mr. Lancer winced slightly at the loud, mental squeal of delight at this, which almost drowned out the thought Phantom added to himself.

**'I'd carry two, but my arms still hurting after that damn attack in school,'** the ghost boy reflected in a bitter tone. **'Besides, I'm not sure I can trust Sam not to throw Paulina out of the Specter Speeder or something with how mad she is at her right now, and Paulina probably won't be too good at riding a dragon bareback, either. Valerie can pull that off easy, though, and so can Kwan and Spike, and since Kwan will probably hold of Star to keep her from falling off, that should more or less solve the transportation problem.'**

Mr. Lancer was impressed with the boy's ingenuity and logic. _'It appears that ghosts have more common sense then humans,'_ he thought dryly. _'Or at the very least, Phantom does.'_

"Anyone have any complaints?" Phantom asked.

"Not me!" Paulina chirped, hugging Phantom closer and making him blush slightly.

**'I can think of a few,'** Sam thought darkly as she scowled at Paulina. **'Uugh… what the heck does he SEE in her? I mean, who cares if she's pretty, she's still a selfish little-!'**

"Miss Manson!" Mr. Lancer warned sharply. Jumping, the girl turned to face her teacher, who just realized what he'd done after Phantom shot him a suspicious look. "Ah… I mean… shouldn't we get going now?"

"Oh!" Sam winced, "Ah, right… Well, everybody get in!"

**'You were reading her mind, weren't you?'** Phantom accused Mr. Lancer in his head. The teacher merely shot him a warning look. **'Thought so…' **

"He's right," Phantom sighed out loud. "Ah, Dora? If you don't mind…?"

"Not at all, Sir Phantom," Dora answered.

**_'…SIR PHANTOM?'_** Jazz, Sam and Tucker thought in union, though in varying degrees of alarm and amusement (from Jazz's pure shock to Tucker, who was only barely containing his laugher).

"You guys might wanna back up…" the ghost boy advised those standing closest to the strange female ghost. A little confused, they obeyed and Dora closed her eyes, apparently concentrating on something. Moments later, it wasn't Dora standing there, but a large, intimidating-looking dragon, who growled slightly as she glowered around her.

"Nice," Phantom said, completely unfazed. "You've gotten control over the transformation?"

"For the most part…" Dora confessed to her stunned crowd. "It was very difficult, though."

"It always is…" Phantom said knowingly.

**'She should be grateful that that's pretty much all she has to worry about,'** Phantom added in a bemused tone in his head. **'Me? I've got family, friends, school, my powers, my enemies and pretty much every other problem under the sun…'** Mr. Lancer raised a questioning eyebrow at the ghost, who caught it and scowled at him. **'Stay out of my head!'** Turning away angrily, the ghost flew over to the gaping group of students.

"Okay, you might wanna hurry and climb on," Phantom told them, "Ember and a lot of other powerful ghosts don't live too far away, and the longer we stay here, the better chance that they're gonna find us."

"That doesn't matter, though!" Paulina said brightly with a giggle. "You're here, after all. You'll protect us!"

**'Oh, I'm gonna hurl…'** Valerie thought in disgust.

**'Is it technically considered murder if you do it in an alternate dimension filled with ghosts?'** Sam wondered as she scowled at Paulina. **'I'm sure Walker won't mind so long as Paulina doesn't actually become a ghost herself, and he's the closest thing to a law figure in the Ghost Zone…'**

**'I wish I could be so confident in myself.'** Phantom thought dryly, his tone a little darker. **'After all, there have been way more close calls between me and my enemies then Paulina could ever know. Or even Sam, Tucker and Jazz, for that matter… though Sam probably knows more then anyone else.' **As the ghost gave a heavy mental sigh, Mr. Lancer eyed him curiously.

_'Why didn't he mention Danny?'_ the teacher wondered. Did that mean that Danny did know how close the ghost had come to death (or whatever one called the end of a ghost's existence), or was it something else…?

"No way," Star said with a scowl, crossing her arms. "There is no way I'm climbing on that thing's back!"

"Dora's not a thing!" Sam said defensively, glowering at Star. "And if you wanna stay here and get eaten by the Behemoth or something, go ahead and be my guest!"

**'What's a behemoth?'** Star wondered in confusion, making Mr. Lancer groan.

_'What on earth are these children doing in their free time?'_ he asked in exasperation. Glancing over at Valerie, he added, _'Other then risking their lives by hunting down paranormal creatures, that is.' _

Just then there was a loud, angry roar that reverberated in the still air around them, making most of the detentionees freeze up.

"Uh, can you gimme a boost?" Star asked Phantom, sounding a little shaken.

---

"That's amazing, Phantom!" Paulina gushed as the ghost boy finished telling her about how he went up against Pariah Dark. "I mean, if he was supposed to be a powerful ghost and you beat him, that would make you more powerful than him!"

"Yeah, but I only barely beat him," Phantom sighed, "and that was with the Fenton Battlesuit. It increased my power by a hundredfold, remember?"

"But you still took him out!" Paulina pointed out, unfazed by the boy's logic, "You just used more then brute strength is all!" Here the girl leaned in closer to the ghost and purred, "You know, I think that's very attractive in a guy…"

**'Oh I am SO gonna hurl.'** Sam thought sourly, glowering at the cheerleader as Phantom's face discovered a new shade of red. Her grip on the steering wheel left her knuckles white, and instead of looking in front of them, she was still watching Paulina and Phantom like a hawk.

**'This is so cool!' **Paulina was thinking giddily at the same time. **'I mean, here I am flying around in the arms of the cutest, coolest guy in Amity Park… maybe even the world!'** Here, Paulina glanced at Phantom again, her smile taking on a sharper, more predatory edge. **'And I've got it so I'm close enough to kiss him whenever I want right now…'**

"Phantom?" Paulina said innocently snuggling closer to the ghost, "I never thanked you for saving me all those times, did I?"

"Huh?" Phantom said, blushing a little more when the girl's words finally clicked. "Oh! It was nothing, really. Besides, I kinda already figured you were grateful."

**'The candle-lit locker shrine and the fact that you own anything and everything that has my name and/or face on it pretty much told me that…'** Phantom added dryly in his head. **'Too bad you're only in love with the wrong me…'**

_'…What on earth is that supposed to mean…?'_ Mr. Lancer wondered as he tried to watch the ghost without making his curiosity obvious and putting the boy on guard. After all, the ghost knew of his powers now, and that put him at a slight disadvantage…

"Well then, let me show you how grateful I am…" Paulina said suggestively as she leaned even closer to Phantom, who didn't have time to react in his surprise. Just before their lips met, though…

'BLAM!'

Paulina screamed loudly as the stray blast ruffled her hair, securing her grip on the ghost boy as he turned in the direction of the blast, his eyes landing on Sam, who looked far too cheerful to escape suspicion.

"Sorry!" she chirped out happily. "My hand slipped."

**'Yeah, I bet it did…'** Phantom thought dryly. **'Jeeze! I know she doesn't like Paulina, but a few more inches and that blast could've killed her!' **The ghost boy rolled his eyes. **'Well, I guess that's Sam for you, though. She probably knew I saw the blast coming out of the corner of my eye and slowed down…'**

**_'SHE DID THAT ON PURPOSE!'_** Paulina screeched in her head as she glowered at Sam over Phantom's shoulder. **'That lousy tramp! I knew she was after Phantom! I knew it! And if she thinks I'm gonna just sit around and let her move in on my man… hey, what's so wet?' **

Paulina took one of her hands from the ghost boy's arm to look at it and gasped loudly, a look of horror on her face.

"Phantom!" she wailed, turning to the ghost. "You're _bleeding_!"

"What?" Sam said, shock clear on her face as she too turned her attention to the teenaged ghost.

**'Bleeding? Was it the blast?'** she wondered, fear and guilt ripping through her. **'Oh, man! I didn't clip him, did I?'**

**'I almost forgot about that!'** Jazz thought at that, studying the ghost-boys arm the best she could. **'That must be why he limited himself to only carrying one person… I just hope he isn't hurting himself even more now. He's so hardheaded sometimes, especially when other people are in danger…'** Mr. Lancer frowned when he heard that.

_'When did she ever find out Phantom was injured?'_ the teacher asked himself. _'I never left Phantom's side this entire time, and he's never said anything about being wounded out loud… so how could Jazz have known?' _

"I'm fine," Phantom assured everyone. "Really. It's just a little souvenir from that creep back at the school. It'll be gone before tomorrow morning." Phantom smiled dryly. "Superhuman healing powers. One of the perks to this whole endless existence in between two world thing…"

**'He didn't want to become a ghost?'** Valerie wondered, surprise clear in her tone as she studied the boy. **'Or is he just trying to trick me again?'**

"Should you really be carrying someone if you're hurt?" Star asked in a rare sign of concern for someone else. "I mean, won't that just make it worse?"

"I'm fine," Phantom repeated stubbornly. "Besides, we're almost there. See? There's the Fenton Portal, dead ahead."

"Dude," Kwan said, shivering slightly, "do you have to say 'dead?'"

**'As if this place isn't creepy enough…'** he added in his head. **'Living in a place like this, it's no wonder all the ghosts want to get into the human world!' **

"Won't you need someone to look at that?" Mr. Lancer asked motioning to the ghost's bleeding arm is was difficult to see through the dark fabric, but sure enough the stain of blood was growing as rapidly as they approached the portal.

"It's fine, okay?" Phantom said irritably. "I barely felt it until you guys started talking about it."

**'Why do I have trouble believing that?' **Sam thought, pressing her lips together firmly, **'Whatever. I'll help him bandage it after we take care of everyone else. No need to make anyone suspicious…' **

As the group entered the swirling green vortex, Mr. Lancer's eyes narrowed on the goth, wondering if she realized it was already far too late…

* * *

**WoM- 'flops over dead'**

* * *

Thanks to;

Light Dragon SunsSong, SummersSixEcho, fish n chips n vinegar, Truth91920, ilikedan, Ytak, Queen S of Randomness 016, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Golden Lunar Eclipse, SquirrelGirl, Tazzel Quickbow, Guitar06, memoirs of a faded memory, ShiroandFubuki, DiscordianSamba, Moss Royal, Missmeliss4251, puppyface, Petitio Principii, epobbp, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, littlekittykat, Serena the Hikari of Love, SspHaC, shadow929, Laughing Hyena, Giff, avearia, Ohka Breynekai, Darth Frodo, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, the sleep warrior, Rob Phantom, Horselvr4evr123, Insomniac Jaki, key46812, BratCat, conan98002, Zuzanny, The Sole Survivor, Inumaru12, Fade B., Invader Johnny, kinguofdoragons, Firehedgehog, CarmenElizabeth, WolfDaughter, Lumias, Kikiness, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, The Great Susinko, dArkliTe-sPirit, AirGirl Phantom, X-Roosterrelli-X, The Sith, kdm13, spirit1s, an obsessed fan, Risika135, Kuki Salazar, DeeDeeBo, Jenna Dax, Phantom2B, kawaii chibi shun, AnimeWerewolf, I Brake For Ghosts, peppymint, DeathPerson, XDDeath, animeobsessed3191, YaoiFan26, Zarz, A Fan, SalanTrong, Katie, Shades-of-Pink, Esme Kali Phantom


	9. Chit Chat

**WoM- 'groaning' _It took me forever to finish this chapter. One thing after another kept distracting me, so I just couldn't find time to sit down and get it done! At any rate, this chapter is dedicated to _Anne Camp Aka Obi Quiet_, for being my first watcher on Deviantart and a totally awesome friend._ THANK YOU! _Also, I'd like to make a note of the fact that I'm currently beta-less thanks to my dad's new child block, so please be kind in regard to mistakes in this chapter, which is definitely my favorite yet for this story._**

**---**

**Ember:** _(After taking over a guitar store)_ Hey, kiddies, this is a little ditty I'd like to call, "Get out of my new home!" _(Plays destructive note on her guitar and everyone runs out screaming)_  
**Boy:** She rocks!

---

**Chit-Chat**

"I hope you ladies are comfortable?" Mr. Lancer honestly tried to hide his amusement the best that he could, but one did not need to be psychic to see that Sam and Paulina were not particularly pleased at their current situation.

_I really must remember that my powers don't excuse the bad puns…_ Lancer told himself before turning back to his captives.

"This is totally unfair, Mr. Lancer!" Sam snarled out venomously. "The school was practically destroyed by ghosts! We should've gotten out of this!"

"Yes, well perhaps other teachers would let you slide that easily, but I'm not resting until you two sort out your differences."

**Oh goody…** Sam's glower, if possible, grew even darker at her English teacher's words. Paulina looked sullen herself, but Mr. Lancer took heart in the fact that the girls were no longer protesting verbally. **I can't believe this overbearing busybody jerk of a lonely, bald old man is gonna make me sit here with captain of the cheer squad, leader of the unofficial Danny Phantom fan club and one of the many girls in school who have never had an original thought in their pretty little heads!**

Mental protests were another matter entirely, of course…

_I'll ignore that one for now…_ Clearing his throat, Mr. Lancer stood up from the kitchen table, glancing between the girls pointedly.

When the school was declared unfit and locked down over the weekend so that repairs could be made (Amity Rebuilding had become impressively quick with their work after the ghost attacks started up) it seemed that Sam and Paulina would get off scot-free. But Mr. Lancer was strict when it came to upholding his word, and refused to drop their punishment. However, since both of them were still quite vigorous in their protests to let the other in their homes, they had gone to the teacher's own house to have their first session.

Much to said teacher's irritation when Paulina started to complain about how small his house was and Sam suggested he hire a gardener to look at his lawn…

"Now then." Mr. Lancer started, his hands resting on his hips as he glared down at the two in what he hoped was an intimidating expression. "I hope you two will remember the rules of this discussion? Paulina?" Huffing at the pointed look the teacher was giving her, Paulina sulked as she recited the older man's exact words.

"We're not allowed to degrade each other." She said in monotone. "Disagreeing with one another's opinions is fine, but we can't make it personal with name calling or scorn. We have to listen to everything the other person says, even if we find it boring and we have to answer everything honestly and civilly."

"Good." Mr. Lancer nodded his head in approval before turning an even more pointed look to his other captive. "Sam?" Glaring bitterly for a moment, Sam also started to recite the teacher's words in an even more monotone voice then Paulina had used.

"The discussions cannot turn into physical fights under any circumstances." She started, a triumphant look flashing in her eyes for a moment before she returned to her speech. "We're not allowed to use any language that isn't deemed school appropriate, nor are we allowed to talk about things of the same nature. And absolutely no death threats or references to murder whatsoever."

"Good." Mr. Lancer nodded his approval. "For your first meeting, I've provided both of you with worksheets to interview one another and fill out as you go along."

"Hey!" Sam protested, her eyes going wide. "You never said we'd have to do any work!"

"Tough, Miss Manson." Mr. Lancer said dryly as he handed both girls twin sheets of paper and turned on the tape recorder. "Now if you need me, I'll be in the next room. Remember the rules, ladies." And with that, the English major left the two alone, settling down in a chair and opening a book as he casually began to subtly overhear his students from the next room over.

…Well, it sounded more dignified then saying he was eavesdropping…

"This is so stupid…" Paulina said irritably.

"Got that right." Sam grumbled before sighing in a pained sort of way. "Well, let's get this over with. The sooner we get done here, the sooner I can meet Danny and Tucker at the mall."

**For what, another trip to Goths-R-Us?** Paulina asked mentally. **Uh, talk about a lame subculture…**

"Okay, first question; hobbies. What do you like to do?" Sam asked.

**Other then belittling everyone you meet and taking advantage of people's insecurities. Not to mention stringing poor guys like Danny along for your own twisted form of amusement.** Sam added to herself.

"Cheerleading." Paulina answered shortly. "I like cheerleading and shopping."

**And that's all you need to know as far as that goes.** She finished in a dark tone. **That's all _anybody_ needs to know…**

"Typical…" Sam scoffed just below Paulina's hearing.

"What about you?" Paulina countered. "What do you do? When you're not hanging out with your friends anyways…"

**If there's ever a time like that. What, are you three attached at the hips or something?**

**What's _that_ supposed to mean?**

"For your information, Paulina." Sam bit out. "There are a lot of things I do without Danny and Tucker. I like writing poetry, drawing, photography and reading. And I have a collection of black and white films and horror movie posters!"

**Goody…** Mr. Lancer could almost see the cheerleader making a face to match that thought.

"Whatever." Paulina said in disinterest. "Next question; collections. Well, you already answered that…"

**Yeah, and there's no need to tell her about the ghost thing… **Mr. Lancer blinked at Sam's thought. Ghost thing? How many of his students were in on this big ghost hunting fest, anyways?

"And I'm guessing the closest thing you have to a collection is your five hundred pairs of shoes, right?" Sam asked sarcastically.

**What does she mean by that?** Paulina thought irritably. **And I only have 106 pairs of shoes! It's better then wearing the same grungy pair of combat boots every day…**

"Actually, no." Paulina sniffed. "I collect memorabilia of Danny Phantom."

"Memorabilia?" Sam repeated.

**I'm surprised she even knows what that word means…**

"Newspaper clippings, books, toys, all those little trinkets the stores are selling now… I probably know more about Danny Phantom then any other girl in our school, you know. Including you."

**You know, for some reason I doubt that.** Sam thought wryly. **I mean, I am one of his best friends. Heck, I'm the reason he's a ghost in the first place!**

…

_"WAITING FOR ODYSSEUS!"_ Mr. Lancer bellowed when the girl's thought finally sank in. "WHAT DID YOU JUST—!" The teacher cut himself short there, realizing that Sam had never technically 'said' anything.

"Mr. Lancer?" Sam exclaimed. There was a sound of movement in the kitchen before the door flew open, a concerned Sam and Paulina rushing into the room. "Mr. Lancer, are you—?"

"Fine." Mr. Lancer said stiffly, though he really wanted to demand what the girl had meant with that last thought. "I'm fine, Miss Manson, I just… uhh… I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Mr. Lancer?' Sam pressed, reluctant to let the subject drop.

**He's been screaming for no reason a lot lately. Either there's a ghost involved, or Tucker's on to something about the pressure of teaching in a haunted school finally getting to him…**

"Yes, Miss Manson, don't mind me. You two just continue your discussion now." Paulina and Sam exchanged looks at that.

**What's with him?** Paulina wondered, concern evident in her tone. **I mean, he's been acting so different since the science lab thing…**

**Well, if he says he's fine, then I guess I can't do anything now…** Sam thought grudgingly. **I'll just make sure Danny checks up on him when he's out on tonight's patrol.**

…Wait, what did she just…?

_I don't want to know._ Mr. Lancer reminded himself firmly. _The children think I'm insane as it is…_

Though he was starting to wonder if that was all that far from the truth…

---

"Oh, come on!" Mr. Lancer growled out angrily as he glared around him. "How many places are there for a paranormal spirit from an alternate demension to hide in a town this size!"

Muttering bitterly about his luck, the teacher slowed his car to a stop, waiting impatiently for the light to turn green again.

Half and hour earlier, Sam and Paulina had left for home upon finishing their discussion (After three more verbal fights and constant degrading of each other in their minds) and Mr. Lancer decided to hunt down Desiree with some questions he had for her about his powers and the headaches that came with them.

Both literal and metaphorical.

So far, though, he couldn't find any ghost, gypsy or otherwise. He was even starting to worry that Phantom had already caught up with her yet again and banished her back to the cold, creepy dimension the ghosts resided in.

Lancer dismissed that thought after a while, though. After all, Phantom's injuries seemed fairly severe, surely he was down for at least the rest of the night… then again, he had said that ghosts were fast healers….

_The most I get into this ghost business, the more I wish I lived in a normal, specter-free town…_ Lancer thought bitterly. He didn't like acknowledging the fact that he knew so little about these ghosts, especially when he had no way of getting more accurate information.

…Well, no way that didn't involve the Fentons, at any rate, and he still hesitated to get them involved with his current dilemma. Especially now that he knew both of their children had something to do with it.

_I don't want to go to them until I have the full story._ The teacher thought firmly. _And that's only if it's endangering the children's lives in some way._

Unfortunately, the more Lancer learned about the situation, the more it looked like such was the case…

"You jerk!" Mr. Lancer jumped at the feminine screech, which was soon followed by the angry, indecipherable yelling of a man. Concerned, the teacher turned his car off and got out to hunt down the source of the disturbance. He wasn't about to just leave if there was a problem that could end with someone getting hurt, after all…

It didn't take him long to find a young couple engrossed in a heated lover's quarrel. Over what, Lancer couldn't be sure, but it didn't take long to see that it was just a couple's spat, and nothing to be overly concerned about.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?" the girl, a pretty twenty-something brunette, snarled out as the man stormed off.

"Away from you!" the man spat back over his shoulder. Lancer sighed heavily as he turned and started back to his car, not about to intrude upon the argument.

_Kids these days…_

"Fine!" the girl screamed after him. "Go! Be baby about me having dinner with my friends! You know, Jeremy, some days I wish you weren't so immature!"

Oh yeah?" Jeremy countered, "Well I—!" here the poor boy was cut off by a rather cruel sounding laugh. A familiar laugh to Lancer, who stopped in this tracks when it reached him.

Wheeling around, the teacher's eyes went wide when a misty lavender smoke drifted from a nearby drain pipe to twist and form into the very ghost he'd been looking for, except larger for some reason of another.

"So you have wished it…" the genie ghost purred out with a smirk, pointing at Jeremy as her entire body began to glow. "so shall it—!"

Desiree was cut off with a cry of pain as Phantom swooped down from the sky, nailing the female ghost with a kick in the face that sent her flying past the girl, who screamed and rushed over to Jeremy. Their quarrel apparently forgotten, the couple huddled together fearfully, uncertain of what to do until the ghost boy turned his attention to them.

"Leave!" he snapped out impatiently. "Trust me, it's for your own good!" the pair didn't need to be told twice, bolting down the street as fast as their legs could carry them. Lancer was tempted to follow them, but the fact that this could be his chance for answers from both of the ghosts rooted him to the spot.

Still, even as Desiree collected herself enough to take to the air again, the teacher found he could not bring himself to call out and gain their attention.

"Foolish whelp!" the ghost hissed out, narrowing her eyes in irritation at Phantom. "Impudent child! You dare interrupt my spell casting yet again?"

"Save it, Desiree." The ghost boy snapped. "What did you do to Lancer?"

"Nothing that he didn't wish for, child." The woman said slyly. "He requested the ability to know what his students were thinking, and I granted that request, as I do with all that I hear."

"And what's the catch, huh?" Phantom asked suspiciously. "Is his head gonna end up blowing up or something?" Lancer's eyes widened at that prospect. That most _certainly_ wasn't part of the deal!

"So suspicious…" Desiree sighed dramatically. "And at such a young age, too!" the ghost chuckled to herself before smirking at her opponent. "Or are these questions merely a way to distract yourself from what you're really asking yourself; _How much longer until he hears enough to figure it all out_?"

"Shut up!" The ghost boy snapped back.

**She's wrong. **The boy thought firmly. **Jazz and Tucker know now, and Tucker's going to tell Sam as soon as she gets back from her session with Paulina. They won't betray my secret, even in their heads…** Mr. Lancer frowned. Why was it the boy constantly forgot to include Danny…?

"No, there're no strings attached to that man's powers." Desiree chuckled. "After all, who's to say he won't do my work for me after he finds out that one of his students is a pitiful half ghost freak?" Mr. Lancer's eyes widened at that.

_It can't be…_

_"I said shut up!"_ Desiree screamed in pain as the ghost— actually half ghost, if what she said was true— blasted her with a charge of ectoplasm, sending her crashing to the earth.

Before he could continue his assault, though, the ghost woman disappeared with a chuckle that had the hairs on Lancer's arm standing on end even in his current state of shock and uncertainty.

"Go ahead, child…" She goaded gleefully. "You're merely playing right into his hands… and when you do…" She trailed off with a hearty laugh that eventually faded into silence, leaving behind an angry teenaged ghost and a stunned high school vice principal.

"Great." Phantom growled out, "Just great! Can this night get any better for me?" Unable to resist any longer, Mr. Lancer stepped forward, a twig snapping loudly under his foot and making the ghost jump four feet in the air before wheeling to face him, both fists aglow before he recognized the teacher. "Mr. Lancer? What are you doing out here?"

Mr. Lancer ignored the question, ignored the fearful tone it was asked in. His mind reeled with all the information it was trying to take in, signs flashing in front of him that made him feel foolish for not noticing earlier…

_**…I knew I should've gone invisible when I had the chance…**_

_**…As if she hasn't made thing complicated enough already…**_

_**…I'm pretty sure a psychotic ghost who wants to kill me and rest my pelt at the foot of his bed had something to do with it….**_

_**…Danny has enough responsibilities…**_

_**…All the ghosts know Danny goes here…**_

_**…I help Danny fight ghosts all the time…**_

_**…I seriously wanna be there when she find out…**_

_**…Please don't let them find out…**_

_**…He can't know, can he…?**_

_**…Too bad you're only in love with the wrong me…**_

"Danny?" The name came out in a hoarse, stunned tone, softer then his usual confident manner of speaking. "Danny Fenton?"

---

**WoM- _Don't gimme that look, I told you guys this was my favorite chapter! You should've known from that alone that the ending was cruel and unusual. I'll update soon, hopefully, but right now I've gotta sate the readers of some of my other stories. Later people!_**

---

**Thanks to;**

dramaqueen07, X-Roosterrelli-X, shadow929, Invader Johnny, Esme Kali Phantom, peppymint, Gamma Jack Plasmius, AnimeWerewolf, Risika135, Fading Background, Ghostboy814, definenormalAB, Anomaly25, Meiriona, The Sole Survivor, A reader, starlight wishes, Firefury, puppyface, SSpHaC, CarmenElizabeth, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Zarz, SilverstarsEbonyskies, memoirs of a faded memory, Kairi7, Halfa-NariMaruko, Missmeliss4251, Fey Phantom, Kuki Salazar, A Mere Servant of God, Hunter097, Serena the Hikari of Love, KHFREAK14, Phantomhobbitses, Catmedium, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, animeobsessed3191, Titan6, Phantom of a Rose, fish n chips n vinegar, phantomshadowdragon, Catnip070, AirGirl Phantom, Gmasangel, Majestic Moon, Jenna Dax, Shimegami-chan, WolfDaughter, conan98002, Zuzanny, Darth Frodo, Firehedgehog, werewulf, happy, Laughing Hyena, Miss Selarne, Ohka Breynekai, dArkliTe-sPirit, ellen, nhaar, Katie, LokiWaterDraca, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, midnight, Laura, BratCat, vlad snuffles, the sleep warrrior, Petitio Principii, xheartkreuzx, Insomniac Jaki, epobbp, Jillie chan, SquirrelGirl, kdm13, ShiroandFubuki, Queen S of Randomness 016, littlekittykat, Kirstyn.T, rainblackroses14, silvermoonphantom, Kage Jaganshi, Samantha-Girl Scout, Redwind, killerdoodlebug, Inumaru12, dPhantoMfreak, blindyourears, Yoshi, Emria, Fan-Fic-CC27, Shadow49, purrbaby101, Mr. Snuffles, hammy ham ham, roseofmyheart, peach curtains, dAnnYsGiRl777, Itallia, Harm Marie, J.J. Banks, ForgottenSmile, Kat, Kellie Fay, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, ghostlover15, Lynx Silverhawk, angel4u185


	10. Into Thin Air

**WoM- _You guys really responded to last chapter… Was that cliffie really that mean? _'giggles' _Well, if you really though it was, you're going to hate me for this chapter. Yeah, I'm updating this one again two days after the last chapter. Obi-Quiet and I are working on a fan comic together, and for every page she finishes, I update a story of her choice as 'pay.' Guess which one she chose? _'smirking' _And here she actually thought I wouldn't make it…_**

**

* * *

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**Vlad:** _(While doing so)_ Please, Daniel, must I actually defeat you with one hand behind my back?

**

* * *

**

Into Thin Air

The boy in front of him said nothing, going even paler at the name as soon as it left Mr. Lancer's lips. He fell away with wide eyes, looking less and less like a powerful ghost and more like a terrified child caught in the act of an unspeakable crime. His mind was blank, and all that Lancer got from him through his powers was an overwhelming sense of fear.

Then, like a dam breaking loose, a tidal wave of thoughts flashed through the teen's head, one after another. So many, moving so fast that Mr. Lancer only managed to catch a few.

**He knows… **

**This can't be happening! Maybe this is just another bad dream!**

**He'll tell my parents, the town… _everyone_!**

**He _knows_…**

**Maybe I can still convince him he's wrong or something!**

**All that I've been trying to hide… all the fighting and the lies… I _can'_t let all of that be wasted!**

**I'm gonna end up a lab rat for the Guys in White!**

**_He knows!_**

"Danny!" Mr. Lancer called out loudly, trying to drown out the confusion of thoughts. "Danny, Calm down and tell me—!"

"No!" Danny croaked out at last, his eyes going even wider as he took to the air again, shooting off at a breakneck speed. Mr. Lancer called out for the boy again, but he was either ignored or unheard as Danny made no move to slow down and speak to him.

Still a little stunned, Mr. Lancer watched until Danny was nothing but a speck in the distance, still trying to come to terms with this new discovery. His student was a half ghost? Clumsy, shy, awkward Danny Fenton was the controversial Danny Phantom that had half the town scratching their heads?

Feeling a little numb, Mr. Lancer sat down on the curb, trying desperately to sort everything out. While he wasn't in the same sort of primal survival mind frame Danny was currently in, He'd definitely taken a shock to his system with this new discovery. And yet…

_How did I not see it earlier?_ It made sense in some twisted way, now that he thought about it. All the absences, all the times he asked to be excused from class, the constant bruises, the fact that he was always tired…

How did he miss all of those signs?

_They hid them._ Mr. Lancer realized, recalling all the lies he'd been fed by Danny, Sam, Tucker… even Jazz on occasions, though she seemed a little less involved then the three younger teens. They did everything in their power to make themselves appear as uninteresting as possible, drawing suspicion away from the blue eyed boy…

That was why none of them protested the title of invisibles. They made themselves that way on purpose.

Groaning, Mr. Lancer buried his head in his hands, realizing that in order to face this current problem, he was going to have to face all four of the teens as early as possible, so they didn't have time to prepare any more of the lies they were becoming far too good at telling.

Unfortunately, the earliest that would be was the Monday they got back in school…

Not to mention the fact that all of them now knew he could read minds, and where he got the power from. Though he'd like to think that he still had the upper hand due to the fact that they were just four teenagers and he was the most renowned scholar in Amity, Mr. Lancer had a strong feeling that that wasn't the case with these four.

_What am I supposed to do?_ The teacher wondered to himself. _How do I approach this situation with them?_

He'd never been put in this spot before, after all. Here he was, a vice principal neck deep in ghosts, half ghosts and the increasingly complicated life of one of his students.

He was almost starting to wish he'd never asked for these powers…

The reminder that a wish granting ghost was still lurking around somewhere had the teacher keeping that thought to himself as he stood up and started back to his car, feeling that it was best to head home before anything else attacked him. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get any sleep that night, but hopefully he could figure _something_ out in the comfort of his home.

As he started up his car and pulled a U-turn to head back to his house, Mr. Lancer drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel as he headed down familiar streets with his mind a million miles away and one question running through his mind…

_Now what?_

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the teacher did in fact fall asleep that night. After he'd gotten home and mulled everything over for a while longer upon reaching his house, the events of the day finally caught up with him and before he knew what'd happened, Mr. Lancer was dead to the world while still in his favorite armchair.

But naturally, even his dreams would not let him find peace from the secret he'd uncovered.

In his dreams, he found himself floating, intangible and invisible, in the middle of the Fenton's living room. He recognized the home instantly from the two or three times he'd visited due to the mischiefs of Danny and his friends. In front of him, Maddie Fenton was pacing the length of the living room with a dark frown on her face while her husband tinkered with a new monstrosity of a gun from his place on the sofa.

Curled up in an armchair and absorbed in a book titled _Ectoplasmic Healing; Advancements in Modern Medicine through Ghost Energy_ was Jazz Fenton, completely ignoring her parent's actions.

Finally, Maddie Fenton stopped pacing to glance at the clock, her frown darkening as she moved over to the window to glance anxiously out to the street. Frustrated, the woman huffed irritably as she resumed her pacing.

"Where could he be?" she demanded of her husband and daughter. "He was supposed to be back from Tucker's two hours ago!"

"Relax, mom." Jazz said, shutting her book. "Danny probably just got caught up talking with Tucker about what happened today. I mean, it's not every day Tucker ends up in the Ghost Zone."

**Usually, he's only there one or two times a week** She added in her head. **More or less, when necessary. Danny's the one who's in there every other day…**

"I still don't like him being out this late!" Maddie exclaimed in a cross tone. "Especially as hurt as he is!"

"It's just a little scratch on the arm, mom." Jazz sighed heavily. "Danny already said he was fine."

"I'd still feel more comfortable if we at least took him to the hospital…" Maddie huffed. "Why he refuses to go is beyond me."

"He just doesn't want to go, mom!" Jazz said stubbornly. "And forcing a child of his age into redundant situations could end up causing scarring to their personalities that could haunt them well into their adult life!"

**That, and we're still not completely sure if the ghost thing will show up in medical tests, be they standard or advanced.** she added in her head. **Better safe then sorry… **Mr. Lancer frowned at that. It was a good point to wonder about, after all. How much had Danny changed physically due to this ghost business?

There were a lot of things the teacher didn't understand, many questions he had for his young pupils. How long had this charade been going on? What started it? How many people were involved? Had anyone ever been seriously hurt because of this ghost fiasco?

And why on earth did they not say anything to anyone sooner?

Mr. Lancer's thoughtful frown softened a bit at that last one, remembering the boy's reaction to being discovered, and the thoughts that ran through his head.

_Why hasn't he said anything to his parents?_ Mr. Lancer wondered to himself. Though the adult Fentons could sometimes be exasperating and downright obsessive when it came to ghosts, he had no doubt that they were both fit parents who cared deeply about their children. Even if they knew Danny's secret, they would still love him just as much as they always did. So why did he remain so tight-lipped about it?

Continuing down that line of though, Mr. Lancer turned to the brief mention of the Guys in White and his face darkened. He had no lost love for the emotionally devoid government agents, who harassed him endlessly about Phantom and (for some strange reason) Danny Fenton's report on the Purple back—

_…Oh._

Now that he thought about it, maybe it did make sense that the conversation could've consisted of both those elements. And perhaps those Guys in White were better then he gave them credit for…

_That doesn't matter now._ Mr. Lancer decided with a sigh. _I already don't trust those Feds, there's no way I'd ever willingly hand over one of my students for them to dissect like some kind of toad._

Before Mr. Lancer could mull this over any more, though, the front door opened and a haggard-looking Danny Fenton entered the house, a little battered and very tired but otherwise no worse for the wear.

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed, hugging the boy even as she scolded him. "What on earth were you thinking? You should've come straight home, young man! You're hurt, for goodness sake! What if you got caught in the middle of a ghost attack?"

"Sorry, mom." Danny sighed absently. "I just got caught up thinking. I'm fine." Pulling away slightly, Maddie studied the boy thoughtfully for a moment.

"Are you sure…?" She pressed hesitantly. "It's not too late to drive you to the hospital, you know."

"I'm fine, mom." Danny insisted again. "And I don't need to go to the hospital. Besides, Our insurance probably can't afford it after that mess Dad got into with the evil ectoplasmic mashed potatoes last Thursday."

"Hey!" Jack protested. "It wasn't that bad! Just a couple minor skull fractures! Besides, we've almost cracked down on the process for cooking with ectoplasmic energies!"

"Maybe it's time to put that one to bed, dad." Jazz said dryly. "Danny and I really don't want to have to face another meal that tries to eat us back."

**Yeah. I still have nightmares about those evil hot dogs…**

_Can't blame them._ Mr. Lancer thought with a barely suppressed shudder at the thought.

"Speaking of bed." Maddie spoke up in a stern tone. "That's where I want you until you feel better, young man. Tucker and Sam can visit, but you three are not to leave that room under any circumstance! Am I making myself clear?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Danny sighed, starting up the stairs. It was them Mr. Lancer noticed he was limping slightly, and he was far from the only one to see it.

"Hey, Danny!" Jack Fenton called out in concern. "What happened to your leg, kid?"

**Aww, Crud….**

**He did NOT go ghost fighting tonight. **Jazz thought in a dark tone.** He said he wasn't going to! He****promised he'd wait until he was better!**

"Oh, uh… nothing!" Danny laughed nervously. "I just tripped over my own fat feet walking home from Sam's house."

"Are you alright?" Maddie asked, starting towards he son yet again until a hand gesture from him stopped her.

"I'm fine, mom!" He repeated himself firmly. "I just wanna get to bed right now."

"Well, if you're really okay, honey…" Maddie said reluctantly.

"Come on, Danny." Jazz said, jumping up from her spot to help her little brother up the stairs. "I'll help you get settled in."

Mr. Lancer was about to follow them when a soft sigh from Maddie made him stop, turning back to Danny and Jazz's parents with a questioning look.

"Maddie…" Jack started, a knowing look on his face.

"I know, I know." The brunette said glumly as she sat down next to him. "It's just… I'm still getting that feeling that they're hiding something from us."

"They're teenagers, Maddie." Jack said with a chuckle. "What, you forgot all the sneaking around we did as kids? Especially with your dad…"

"It's… it's not like that…" Maddie admitted in a pained tone. "Danny's getting hurt so much lately. He's moodier, he's constantly hiding out at Sam's or Tucker's, he's doing worse and worse at school… I just don't know what to do with him!" Looking a little more depressed, she added. "I just wish he's trust us enough to let us in his life…"

"Hey, now…" Jack said softly, hugging his wife to him. "Come on, Maddie, don't start talking like that. Next thing you'll say is that we should take Vladdy up on that boarding school thing he was trying to talk us to sending Danny to in Wisconsin." Maddie snorted dryly at that.

"That one's desperate measures only." The mother said dryly, "And by desperate measures, I mean felony charges."

"Danny's been keeping some stuff from us, yeah, but that's normal." Jack continued. "He's a good kid, Maddie, even at his moodiest. Remember when he gave up his ice cream for those kids at the beach? Or that one time he helped clean up that one shop after that ghost attack and the store owner gave us free coupons for a month?" Maddie smiled at that, silently confirming the memories. "He's just going through a rough patch, but he'll come around. How couldn't he, with as great a mom as you've been?"

"Oh, Jack!" Maddie said, sounding genuinely touched as she drew the man close enough to peck him on the cheek affectionately. Mr. Lancer blinked. He never realized that Jack Fenton could sound so… fatherly.

"Wait a minute…" Jack said with a frown. "Aww, Man! If Danny's gotta stay in his room, I've gotta do his chores! Again!"

_Well, at least he sounds like himself again…_ Shaking his head, Mr. Lancer made his way upstairs, where he could hear his students deep in discussion.

"You're sure he knew it was you? Maybe you made a mistake…"

**I mean, how much could he have heard? Desiree's only been loose for four or five days…**

"Jazz, he looked right at me and said 'Danny Fenton!'"

"Well, what did you say?"

"Nothing, I just ran away."

**Which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, now that I think about it. Way to go, Fenton, you did all the hard work for him!**

"Did you think anything incriminating?"

"I dunno… I just kinda freaked…"

**It's all kinda a blur right now, though…**

"Maybe we can still convince him he's wrong, then…"

"It's too late." Danny said glumly. "He's probably calling up the Guys in White to come and take me away for lots and lots of painful experiments right this very second!"

**And knowing my luck, Freakshow would probably be my cellmate.**

"That's not true, Danny!" Jazz insisted firmly. "I mean, even if he did figure parts of it out, he'd probably want to know everything before he did anything like that.

"Thanks, Jazz. Big help." The sarcasm dripping from her brother's tone made Jazz sigh heavily.

**Okay, wrong angle. Let's try a new one, then.**

"Danny, relax. Everything's gonna be okay."

"No it's not!" Danny burst out. "It's not gonna be okay, Jazz, it's never gonna be okay!" The boy hesitated here for a moment. "…Why does all of this junk happen to me, anyways? I mean, that whole thing with Freakshow showed me the world wasn't ready to know I was Danny Phantom. Maybe Spectra's right about me being a freak…" Mr. Lancer winced at that was the boy became lost in pained memories of the deranged psychologist.

"You're not a freak, Danny!" Jazz protested harshly before sighing. "You're a hero, Danny. Most kids couldn't do half the stuff you do."

"Some hero." Danny snorted out. "What kind of hero always ends up screwing up the lives of everyone he cares about, huh?"

"Danny, you can't solve every problem in the world with your ghost powers." Jazz pointed out firmly.

**Got that right.** thought Danny bitterly. **I can't even solve my own problems with them without it blowing up in my face… sometimes even literally.**

"Look, some things don't work out the way they're supposed to, but that's okay, Danny. After all, no matter how bad things get, we always find a way to make it right before long. You've never given up, Danny. Not even when all of Amity Park thought you were evil. And look how far you've come in such a short time! As for the Guys in White… even if they show up again, you won't ever have to worry about them. Not if Sam, Tucker and I have anything to say about it! We've been here for you through it all, Danny, and we're not going to leave you now."

**Yeah… that's true…** Danny thought, a strong feeling of affection coursing through him.

"Thanks, Jazz." He said out loud in a soft tone.

"What are big sisters for, huh?" Jazz asked sweetly, making Danny laugh. "Now get some sleep, Danny. You need the rest."

"Yeah…" Danny sighed. "'Night. Jazz."

"Goodnight, Danny." Jazz responded. "And don't worry about Mr. Lancer. We'll fix this someway, just like everything else."

**I hope…**

Keeping that last thought to herself, Jazz opened the door, revealing the room to Mr. Lancer at last.

The teachers eyes widened when he saw the large gash on his leg the boy was in the middle of bandaging. Especially when he saw the gauze half hidden by Danny's sleeve and the bruises he'd been hiding on his way to his room. Unable to restrain himself, Mr. Lancer gasped as he saw how much abuse the boy took fighting ghosts. Danny looked up sharply at the sound, his eyes— _green_ eyes— piercing holes into the teacher…

Yelping, Mr. Lancer shot straight up from his armchair, falling to the floor before he realized what'd happened. One hand against his heart, the teacher tried to steady his breathing again after the strange… vision? It was too vivid to be a dream…

Thinking back to what he'd seen, what he'd heard, Mr. Lancer frowned as soon as his breathing returned to normal.

_Well…_ He thought to himself. _At least now I know what to do…_

* * *

**WoM- _I was planning on dragging this chapter on a little more, but it's long enough already, and I'm at my deadline. More from me later, people!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

xheartkreuzx, epobbp, Invader Johnny, dPhantoMfreak, Miss Selarne, pippy32388, AnimeWerewolf, DSK, dramaqueen07, Phantom of a Rose, Boongdaba, Golden Lunar Eclipse, Fey Phantom, The Sole Survivor, phantomshadowdragon, Emria, Silent Elegy, BJA Fan, Meiriona, Lilios, Sasia, Balkoth, Kradeiz, Zilleniose, angel4u185, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, SquirrelGirl13, Firefury, Shenhua Phantom, Queen S of Randomness 016, Missmeliss4251, Kazzy103, Serena the Hikari of Love, AkoyaMizuno, Writer's-BlockDP, Zarz, kat92foryou, Anomaly25, hammy ham ham, werewulf, Jenna Dax, Shadow wolf thief, dl-sPirit, Celestial Maiden Sukira, Ghostboy814, purrbaby101, ghostlover15, Gmasangel, Harm Marie, rowdy-redhead, Samantha-Girl Scout, Itallia, SilverstarsEbonyskies, Wingg-ed Wolf, Terra89, Esme Kali Phantom, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, RemembertheLegacy, Lumias, ilikedan, XxEvilDivaxX, Tazzel Quickbow, zombie-rodeo-frog, Serena, Firehedgehog, conan98002, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, pwykersotz, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, dAnnYsGiRl777, Truth91920, BratCat, Kirstyn.T, DragonSword35d, Zuzanny, himegimiofdoragons, animeobsessed3191, Zarmina, Hunter097, ChicaDeDanny, soaring-bright-flame, Jessica01, X-Roosterrelli-X, HKPMKEJQSGQLV, blindyourears, NNF, LokiWaterDraca, kennyk12, Petitio Principii, KittyKiChi


	11. Guardian

**WoM- _Why is it that whenever I offer people their pick of my stories, they always choose this one? Kinda a weird pattern, now that I think about it… and if it keeps up at this rate, this story'll be finished before long. I doubt it'll go past fifteen chapters, after all… Anywho, this update's for_ Nari-Maruko_, who helped me feel better on a really, reeeeeeally bad day. THANK YOU!_**

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**Vlad:** _(To Jazz, after she attacks him)_ You think you can defeat me! Do you remember that, with the simple push of a button, I can end your resistance once and— _(Danny suddenly phases upwards and takes the remote from Vlad's hands)_ Oh, cheese logs...

* * *

**Guardian **

_Well, it's now or never…_ Mr. Lancer sighed heavily to himself as he fiddled with the switch for the intercom, wondering why on earth he felt so nervous. He had nothing to be nervous about, after all. He was fairly certain that Danny wouldn't use any of his… powers on him, and even if he did it wasn't like Lancer didn't have the ability to see it coming.

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Lancer flicked the switch from OFF to ON.

"Attention Teachers." He spoke with a calm, clear tone. "We apologize for the interruption, but the following students need to be seen in the vice principal's office immediately; Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Jazz Fenton and Danny Fenton. Thank you for your time, you may now return to your studies."

Turning the switch back to OFF, Mr. Lancer slumped back in his seat in exhaustion. Closing his eyes he went over the speech he'd prepared and the list of questions he'd ask one last time before the student's arrived.

That was when he was hit with a large sense of fear coming from the History wing of the school, where he knew Danny was in the middle of a class.

Mr. Lancer found it a little ironic that a boy who fought daily for his life against everything from deranged ghosts to his own parents and friend could be afraid of talking to his vice principal. He'd seen some of Danny's fights, after all, and he knew some of those ghosts weren't pushovers.

_Though it's still hard to believe it really was_ Danny _fighting them…_ That was probably part of the reason not only he, but everyone else in Amity, had never paid any mind to the physical similarities of the boy.

After all, Danny Fenton was a clumsy, shy and awkward young man who never seemed to have any interest in following his parent's footsteps and becoming a ghost hunter, Whereas Danny Phantom was a powerful, confident super ghost who never let anything faze him.

_How can two personalities that are so different from one another belong to the same person?_ Mr. Lancer wondered, tapping a pen against his desk in thought. And then there were Danny's friends and sister to think about as well… _What on earth are these children doing to themselves?_

Before Lancer could muse over this any further, his office door opened and the moment of truth arrived in the form of four teenaged students. 

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Danny asked as he stopped in the middle of the room, flanked by his two best friends as Jazz shut the door and hovered around it anxiously, as if to make sure no one came close enough to overhear anything.

Mr. Lancer was taken aback for a moment. The tone Danny used wasn't one he'd ever heard from the boy before. It was clearer, more confident, with an infallible sense of pride that Danny had never seemed to possess…

_That's his Phantom facade._ Mr. Lancer realized, studying the boy again. _That's the front he puts up for his enemies and those he protects, to make them feel he can handle anything._

Then what was Danny's Fenton to him? Another mask, used to hide the true face of Phantom? Which parts of Danny's personality where his, and which were made up to protect other people and himself?

**No Guys in White in here… **Danny said to himself as he cased the room warily. **That's a good sign, I guess.**

"Of course there are no Guys in White here, Danny." Mr. Lancer responded bluntly. It was probably best to lay all cards on the table and get this over with now, after all… "I never had any intention of calling them." Danny flinched a little at that.

**Forgot he can read minds…**

"Yes, I can." Mr. Lancer sighed. "And you, Danny Fenton, lead a double life as Danny Phantom."

"What?" Jazz squeaked out in a shrill, nervous tone. "Mr. Lancer, that's crazy! How can Danny be a ghost? He's still alive!" The teacher leveled a look at his student that had her flinching and drawing back slightly.

"That," Mr. Lancer said in a soft tone. "is precisely what I want to know."

There was a long lapse of silence as all eyes turned to Danny to see what the next move was going to be. Grimacing slightly, the half ghost sighed heavily and closed his eyes, looking more serious then Mr. Lancer had ever seen him before.

"What are you going to do after we tell you everything?" Danny asked, opening his eyes to give Mr. Lancer a suspicious glare.

"Yeah!" Tucker piped up, moving to stand next to Danny. "I mean, if your just gonna go to the press or the Guys in White with the whole story, we kinda want some advance warning here."

"I'm not going to tell the Guys in White anything." Mr. Lancer repeated himself in annoyance. "And I'm not going to say anything to the press, either." There was a beat of silence after that as all the kids wondered if they should trust the teacher, before Danny sank into the chair that was in front of Lancer's desk.

"I had an accident." He said bluntly. "It was while back. Sam, Tucker and I were all in my parent's lab to check out the Ghost Portal."

"Danny didn't want to be down there, but Sam heard a little bit about it from Mr. Fenton and wanted to see for herself." Tucker said, taking over the story. "But then Sam said something about how Danny should check inside the Ghost Portal."

"It wasn't working!" Sam snapped, a defensive tone working into her voice as she glared at her friend. "I didn't think anything would happen, okay?" Lancer raised an eyebrow when he felt the undertone of guilt the girl was trying to hide.

"But something did happen." Danny picked up the story again. "I was in the portal, and it was too dark to see anything. I ended up putting my hand on something, and next thing I knew there was a bright light and a lot of pain." Danny got lost in memories here, and Mr. Lancer couldn't help but flinch when he found the boy had made an understatement about how much pain he'd been in.

"Sam and I didn't know what happened." Tucker told Mr. Lancer with a wry smile. "When Danny came out of the portal looking like that, we thought he really was a ghost for a second."

**And that I'd killed him.** Sam said bitterly in her mind, the feeling of guilt becoming more pronounced. Still, she was too proud to say anything, so she merely scowled into space and crossed her arms.

"Even I didn't know what'd happened at first." Danny admitted with a dry chuckled, unaware of his friend's thoughts. "It's still kinda a blur to me. I just… I remember looking down at my and getting confused because it wasn't the right color anymore… so I went over to the mirror to see what had happened." Danny sighed here, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think it was me, at first. I mean, my hair, my eyes, my skin… I didn't look like _myself_ anymore."

"Danny passed out after he saw himself, and changed back to normal." Sam continued for her friend. "That's when Tucker and I snapped out of it and went to go find Mr. and Mrs. Fenton."

"When Mom and Dad heard what had happened, they lost it." Jazz spoke up at last, seeing that it was her turn to tell the story. "We all went down to the lab to see if Danny was okay, but he seemed fine even after he woke up. After a while, we decided that Danny just got a nasty shock from the portal, which was what got it working."

"We almost believed it, too." Danny said wryly. "Sam, Tucker and all were almost convinced that the whole ghost side of me was just a mass hallucination from the energies of the portal or something… at least until the next day when I fell through my bed and into the kitchen."

"Literally _through _it." Tucker repeated with a nod. "One second he was sitting there trying to figure out how to beat level nine of Doomed Fortress, and the next he was sinking down through solid ground."

"After that, we kinda figured there was more to the story then we first thought." Sam spoke up again in a droll tone.

"So, I've spent almost all my time since then figuring out my powers, fighting off ghosts, and trying to get all my school stuff done." Danny sighed, crossing his arms and glancing out the window on his right.

**Which is all a lot harder then it sounds, by the way…**

"I see…" Mr. Lancer rubbed his temples, sorting all of this information out and comparing what they were telling him with what he knew so far… "And you, Ms Fenton? How did you get involved in all of this?" Jazz seemed a little surprised at the chance of subject at first, though it was a legitimate question.

The redhead's involvement in this chaotic web of lies was one of the most puzzling aspects to Mr. Lancer. After all, she'd never appeared to have any interest in following her parent's footsteps as ghost hunters. Far from actually, she'd always been mortified at her parent's choice of careers…

"Oh, well I found out about Danny on my own, when the whole Spectra thing was happening." Jazz explained. "I saw him transforming in an alley, and it wasn't too hard to figure things out from there. But I didn't say anything because I wanted him to tell me on his own terms, so I just kinda helped him the best I could from the sidelines for a while."

"I figured out she knew a while ago, after one of the biggest fights I've ever had." Danny explained, coming back into the conversation again. "Since then, Jazz has been covering for me with Mom and Dad and helping with my homework."

**And your wounds. **Jazz added silently to herself, an uneasy feeling overcoming her. Mr. Lancer got the feeling that that wasn't her favorite part of the job…

"Speaking of your parents, why haven't you told them about all of this yet?" Mr. Lancer demanded. It seemed to him that having two parapsychologist would be highly beneficial to a half ghost out to save the world. There was another beat of silence as Tucker, Sam and Jazz looked at Danny uncertainly yet again.

"Mom and Dad… they deal with things their own way." Danny said carefully. "I know they'll accept me no matter what I am, but I don't think they'll know what to do with this after they found out. Besides, there's a lot of other complicated stuff I wanna deal with first."

**Like Vlad, for one.** Danny told himself coldly. **Vlad's probably gonna know when I'm outing myself two minutes before I do, and he won't sit by and let my family live 'happily ever after' if he has anything to say about it. He'd probably figure that I'd tell mom and dad about him, meaning he won't have to hold back anything when he's trying to kill my dad, marry my mom and make me his evil apprentice for all eternity.**

…Okay, that one lost him.

"What?" Lancer demanded. "Indian in the Cupboard, Danny, what on earth are you talking about?"

"…huh?" Jazz, Tucker and Sam all exchanged confused looks.

"It's a long story…" Danny sighed. "…And stay outta my mind! Isn't that, like, invasion of privacy or something?"

"I can't help it, Danny." Mr. Lancer said, annoyed. He wanted to talk about the boy, after all, not his own powers. "I hear your thoughts just as clearly as I hear the things you say. I can't turn it off or make it stop, just like I can't turn off my regular listening abilities."

"Well, can't you at least gimme some warning that you're listening in or something?" Danny asked, blushing slightly.

**Figures I'm not even safe in my own head anymore…**

"I'm not trying to pry or make you feel uncomfortable, Danny." Mr. Lancer insisted. "I just want to know what's going on here."

"Why can't you just ask?" Sam shot back with a dark glare.

"Because you four would only lie to me." Mr. Lancer responded bluntly. The teens flinched simultaneously, looking uncomfortable for a moment, but none of them spoke up to deny it.

**He has a point…** Tucker admitted to himself. **I can't even remember half of the lies I've told to cover for Danny.**

**So what if we lied a little? **Sam demanded shortly. **It was for the greater good, and anyways it was none of his business to begin with. We've been doing just fine on our own!**

**But we've had to lie. **Jazz thought sadly. **We accept Danny as he is, but that doesn't mean other people will, and Danny's made himself a lot of powerful enemies already. I mean, who knows what'll happen if Valerie or someone finds out…**

"That's another point I wanted to bring up." Mr. Lancer said, frowning at the four. "Exactly what is going on between you children and Valerie?" The three younger students looked confused for a moment, but Jazz blushed brightly and fidgeted.

**Man… Danny's right, that _is _creepy…**

"Valerie?" Danny repeated, a blush working it's way across his cheeks. "The thing with Valerie is… complicated."

"Meaning…?" Mr. Lancer glared sternly, not willing to let the subject drop that easily. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Danny who responded, but Sam.

"Meaning that lover-boy here has it bad for Valerie even though she's tried to kill his ghost half so many times, it's not even funny!" Behind the goth's back, Tucker and Jazz exchanged knowing looks as Danny's face burned scarlet.

"Val's been a ghost hunter since her dad lost his job at Axion." Tucker explained, a little more helpfully. "She's good, too. Almost got Danny her first night out, 'til Sam and Danny decided to get a little cozy with one another."

**_"IT WAS A FAKE-OUT MAKE OUT!"_** Danny and Sam roared as one, but jumping to confront the boy as Mr. Lancer fell back in surprise.

"Call it what you want, dude, if there was lip-on-lip action, it's still a kiss."

"Anyways…" Jazz said, stressing the word to remind the three that it wasn't the right time for their argument. "Danny kinda unmasked Valerie in front of her dad before her took the Ecto-suit to fight Pariah, so he took away all of her weaons."

"But Technus went and gave her a whole new breed of ghost killing toys." Danny finished dryly for his sister. "Ones her dad couldn't take away even if he tried."

"I… uh… I see…" Mr. Lancer blinked uncertainly for a moment. "But who gave her the first suit, then?"

"Vlad." All four teens answered as one. Mr. Lancer sighed.

"If that name's going to keep coming up, can't you at least tell me who on earth he is?" He asked dryly.

"Vlad Plasmius." Danny answered shortly. "AKA Vlad Masters." Mr. Lancer couldn't hide his alarm here. "Yeah, that Vlad Masters. He's the first half ghost, and a certifiable fruitloop."

"Fruitloop?" The teacher repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"He's Danny's archenemy." Jazz said, playing with a strand of her hair nervously. "He got his powers in college, thanks to an accident Dad kinda caused. Since then, he's wanted to take revenge on Dad, marry Mom and—!"

"—make Danny his evil apprentice for all eternity, don't worry, I heard that part."

"He's a dangerous guy." Danny admitted, sounding serious.

"Of course he is!" Mr. Lancer said shortly. "He's the head of a billion dollar company!"

"I know." Danny sighed. "He's older then me, he's more experienced then me, he's smarter then me…"

"And you still always win." Jazz said pointedly, giving her brother a stern look.

"Through dumb luck."

"You still win, Danny, don't sell yourself short like that!"

"Enough." Mr. Lancer cut in before Danny could counter that. The teacher looked at the small group in front of him, trying to come to terms with everything he'd just heard. "I've heard enough. I still can't believe most of it, but I've most definitely heard everything that I need to know."

"So we're free to go?" Tucker said hopefully, his face brightening.

"Yes, on one condition…" All four faces fell nervously at that.

**Why don't I like the sound of that…?** Danny said to himself, his eyes fixed on Mr. Lancer. The teacher ignored the thought, firmly delivering his ultimatum.

"From now on, I don't want to hear about any of you being involved in hunting ghosts in any way, shape of form. And if I do, you can rest assured that I'll call _all_ of your parents in for a conference, and I _will_ tell them everything."

* * *

**WoM- _Dundunduuuuun:D Off to find a cozy hiding spot, see ya next update!_**

* * *

**Thanks to;**

xheartkreuzx, dPhantoMfreak, werewulf, Firehedgehog, Invader Johnny, CarmenElizabeth, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Missmeliss4251, pippy32388, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Jessica01, KittyKiChi, kennyk12, angel4u185, Writer's-BlockDP, Serena, shadow wolf thief, Jenna Dax, Harm Marie, Golden Lunar Eclipse, Balkoth, DD, Itallia, SquirrelGirl13, Phantom of a Rose, definenormalAB, ghostlover15, Kairi7, Esme Kali Phantom, emotigone crazy, Lt. Commander Richie, Meiriona, Sasia, Shenhua Phantom, Queen S of Randomness 016, KatrinaKaiba, Laura, epobbp, LokiWaterDraca, AnimeWerewolf, Delia Ra'Nar, Ghostboy814, dAnnYsGiRl777, Iona, NNF, Zarmina, Sirithiliel, AkoyaMizuno, Firefury, Kouhiofdoragons, Fey Phantom, femaleprongslet, midnight, conan98002, Rob Phantom, Kat, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, ilikedan, purrbaby101, SilverstarsEbonyskies, ImMoRtAl-FoOl, BratCat, Zuzanny, killerdoodlebug, Kirstyn.T, DragonSword35d, Madame Band Geek, kennyk12, Anomaly25, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Wingg-ed Wolf, Pterodactyl, A reader, The Sleep Warrior, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, Gmasangel, Rambie, dArkliTe-sPirit, Fan-Fic-CC27, fish n chips n vinegar, Frodo01228, J.J. Banks, Serena the Hikari of Love, kennyk12, Crossover Fiend, Jillie chan, ananomous writer, ShiroandFubuki, Lunaqua, Droodle Phantom, Darth Frodo, gatogirl1, softballgirl9411, AirGirl Phantom, Only Human, Kellie Fay, hollybells1, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, The Bushranger, Mr. Snuffles, Inumaru12, shadow929, CharmedNightSkye, Evillittlegurlie, ChoasGhostBoy, phoenix's shadow, Narugirl94, Becky Yuy, Bunny Bubble, sugarland31


	12. Sleight of Hand

**WoM- 'laughing' _It's a curse for this story, I swear it is…_ Wingedwish _finished coloring the first two pages of Flash Photography, and this was her first choice for payment. I'm starting to wonder why I even ask anymore…_**

---

**Maddie:** _(To Vlad)_ You despicable, lying piece of... cheese!

---

**Sleight of Hand**

**_"WHAT?"_**

Mr. Lancer flinched slightly, though he'd been expecting something along the lines of that effect. It was an involuntary reaction with the sheer volume of the screech, though. Still, Mr. Lancer kept a firm look on Danny, the leader of the ragtag group and the one in most danger. The boy still hadn't said a word, and only his widened eyes even showed that he'd heard the teacher.

"But Mr. Lancer, you can't—!"

"I can and I will, Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer took his eyes off of Danny long enough to fix Jazz with the same steady gaze, earning a guilty flinch. "Honestly, though, I'm surprised at your involvement in all of this. I gave you more credit then that, Jasmine."

"It was my fault, Mr. Lancer." Blinking in surprise, the scholar turned back to Danny, who spoke up at last upon the attack on his sister. "Jazz kept my secret because I asked her to, don't blame her for this. Or Tucker. Or Sam."

"No way, Danny." Sam interjected harshly. "I'm the one who talked you into going into the stupid portal."

"And I've been keeping your secret because I'm proud of you." Jazz added with the same firmness.

"We've been with you the whole time, dude," Tucker said, sounding unusually serious. "Through it all. You think we're really gonna let you take all the heat when it most matters, man?"

"It's our secret Danny, remember?" Jazz said quietly as she shared a meaningful look with her brother, grasping his hand firmly in her own. Danny gave her a weary smile as memories creeped back up at the girl's words…

_The C.A.T… That's the last time I saw you alive… The big explosion at the Nasty Burger, you, Tucker, Danny's family… And it was all your fault!  
_

_Strange how a massive fireball of high combustible condiments can ruin your whole future…_

_You're responsible for the horrible things that happened to your world and ours! To everyone you've ever come in contact with!_

_All you wanted was to make the hurt go away…_

_Maybe that's all anybody needs... a second chance._

Mr. Lancer blinked a couple of times as the memories slipped away again, baffled at the seemingly indiscriminate whispers the boy had been replaying in his head.

_What was that about…?_ He wondered for a moment before he let the question go. His main concern now was keeping his students safe, from the ghosts and from themselves.

"No offence, Mr. Lancer," Danny said, leveling an unwavering gaze at the teacher that drew him from these thoughts. "but I can't do that. I have a responsibility to everyone here in Amity, and I'm not going to stand by and ignore a cry for help."

"Your fourteen Danny." Mr. Lancer reminded the boy with a sigh. "You should be concentrating on your future, not ghost hunting. Think of how much more time you will be able to devote to your school work and other activities you would be doing if you weren't out risking your life."

"Yeah, but do you have to call our parents?" Tucker asked in a pleading tone. "Can't you just give us detention until we graduate or something?"

"I am not going to sit by and allow you children to get yourselves killed!" Mr. Lancer snapped, glaring at them.

"We're doing fine on our own, though!" Sam snapped right back. "The only reason no one's died yet because of a ghost is because Danny's fighting them! It's not fair to do something like this to us, Mr. Lancer!"

"If you make Danny stop hunting, Amity Park will be virtually defenseless." Jazz reminded Mr. Lancer quietly.

"I think you underestimate your parents abilities, Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer told the girl dismissively.

**If he wasn't being serious, I'd laugh myself into a coma at that…**

"I am being serious, Mr. Foley." Mr. Lancer rolled his eyes as Tucker jumped about three feet into the air. "And I doubt any of your parents would appreciate the fact that you not only lied to them, but put yourselves in mortal peril doing so."

"You think I care what you tell my parents?" Sam countered defiantly, cocking her chin in a silent challenge.

"No, but I do think that they will take action after they learn exactly what you've been doing in your spare time." Mr. Lancer said dryly, remembering Mr. and Mrs. Manson from Parent-Teacher conferences. "You know that if your parents find out about this little after school activity of yours, they'd remove you from the school, and possibly even the state."

**Or worse…** Danny realized, his eyes going wide before he glanced quickly over at Sam, who wavered slightly under this revelation before she steeled herself again. **Knowing the Mansons, they'd use any excuse they could to send Sam to some snobby private school overseas, and this would be the perfect one.** Startled, Mr. Lancer saw Danny's resolve start to crumble when he thought about the severity of his friend's punishment. Struck with inspiration, the teacher turned to Tucker next.

"And you, Mr. Foley, you think your parents want you involved in this sort of danger? I'd imagine that if they knew, they would ban you from the use of your precious technology, including your beloved PDA." Tucker when dangerously pale at the warning there, hugging the device close to him in a protective sort of way.

**Not my PDA!** He wailed in his head, apparently too horrorstruck for words.

"And Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer said, turning to the oldest of the four. "You expect me to believe that you enjoy knowing that your brother is constantly in danger when you can do nothing about it? What would happen if a ghost killed him, hm? You'd blame yourself for the rest of your life, for keeping something like this a secret and allowing him to fight when you could have stopped him." Jazz flinched at the scenario the teacher described, pain flashing in her eyes for a moment before she lowered them to the ground, unaware of her brother's wide eyed stare.

**Jazz…** He thought, swallowing slightly and closing his own eyes for a moment. **I never thought about that… any of it. Jazz, Sam, Tucker… all of them have something they can't afford to lose. And because of me…** Opening his eyes, Danny gave Mr. Lancer a defeated look.

"Fine." He said shortly. "No more ghost hunting."

"What?" Jazz gasped, her eyes going wide for a moment.

"Danny—!" Sam started, moving forward as if to stop the boy.

"It's my choice, guy." Danny snapped harshly. "No more. It's over, okay." He leveled another glare at Mr. Lancer, this one different then before. "You win."

Then, without another word, Danny brushed past his sister and friends and made his way to the door, gone before anyone could stop him. Without even looking at one another, the three remaining ghost hunters dashed for the exit as one, apparently intent on stopping Danny.

Mr. Lancer sighed as the door closed behind them, slumping forward and cradling his head in his hands. He felt drained now for some reason, physically and emotionally. But Danny was right, he had won…

…So why did it feel like a loss?

---

"…That's all class. You may go." Cheering loudly, the students stood up and charged for the door before Lancer could say another word. The teacher merely straightened up some of his papers, too weary to even remind the kids not to run in the halls.

Ever since his talk with Danny, Mr. Lancer's thoughts were a thousand miles away, something some of his more daring students noticed and attempted to take advantage of.

Needless to say, detention that week was going to be more crowded then usual…

Sighing, Mr. Lancer slipped his work into his briefcase and started for the door, intent on getting home and finding himself a nice book to help him escape the doubts he was starting to feel.

"Lancer!" Groaning, the balding man turned to glower at the oversized gym teacher approaching at a brisk pace.

_Of course… _He thought sourly.

"Can this wait, Ms Testlaff?" He asked shortly. "There are other matters I need to attend to right now." He and the gym teacher had never gotten along, and after the day he'd just been through he wasn't in the mood to even pretend to be polite to her.

"Can it, Lancer." Testlaff snorted with a glare. "I was just seeing if what Sanchez said was true. She can't come to cheer practice today because of some chit chat thing you set up with her and Manson?" Mr. Lancer blanked out for a moment before he realized what the woman was talking about. When it hit him, though, he groaned helplessly to himself.

_Blood and Chocolate…_ he sighed in his head. _Just one of those days. _

"It's true, Ms Testlaff." He said out loud, turning to start back to his classroom. "Please send her down immediately so we can start posthaste." The last thing he wanted was to be left alone with an angry Sam Manson for any period of time…

Luck was against him, though, and Sam was waiting when he got back to his room, eagerly greeting his approach with a glare that would freeze fire cold. Unfazed, Mr. Lancer unlocked his door and reentered the room he'd just left, the goth trailing on his heels.

"You know, the whole psychic teacher thing is one serious violation of privacy." Sam drolled out coldly as soon as she took a seat, never letting up her glare. "Isn't that illegal or something?"

"If that's a threat, Miss Manson, I'm afraid it's not a very good one." Mr. Lancer sniffed. "You'd have a hard time proving your accusation without revealing Danny's secret, after all." Sam's eyes narrowed.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" she growled. "Nobody's been seriously hurt yet, and we're saving people lives. How is that a bad thing, huh?"

"Yet, Miss Manson." Mr. Lancer repeated pointedly. "What will you do if there comes a day when someone is hurt, hmm? Especially if it's Danny?"

"That's not gonna work on me." Sam said, her glare hardening. "Danny knows the risks, and he's willing to take them to protect people. That's what makes him a hero, Mr. Lancer, and that's why I'm doing whatever I can to make sure that the risks aren't as bad as they could be." Before Mr. Lancer could counter this, the door opened and Paulina sauntered into the room in full cheerleader garb.

"This is totally unfair, Mr. Lancer." She complained loudly as she took a seat. "I should be getting ready for the cheer off right now!"

"Life isn't always fair, Miss Sanchez." The teacher sighed.

**Tell me about it…** Sam thought bitterly.

"At any rate, You two ladies should know what to do now, so I'll leave you alone." Flipping on the tape recorder, Mr. Lancer headed for the door. "Behave yourselves, girls."

**Jerk.**

"I heard that, Miss Manson." Ignoring the confused Paulina, Mr. Lancer shot the now blushing Sam a dry look before he left, closing the door behind him.

_Now what?_ Mr. Lancer thought with a gloomy sigh. He wasn't in the mood to play mediator for Sam and Paulina, after all, so he'd have to settle on listening to the tape of the conversation later. Right now, he was more worried about sorting out his own thoughts before he tackled those of his students.

Shaking his head, Mr. Lancer headed for the teacher's lounge, full intent on getting himself a strong cup of coffee and a bag of Hart-Munchies to snack on. He needed something to do while he was thinking, after all…

"Mr. Lancer?" Jumping slightly, the teacher turned to see none other then Jazz Fenton, approaching him at a hesitant pace.

_Why is it that I'm suddenly incapable of escaping these children?_ Mr. Lancer wondered for a moment before turning his attention back to the redhead.

"Miss Fenton." He said, straightening himself up. "Is there a problem?"

More then you know…

"Yes, actually." Jazz sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about Danny."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Mr. Lancer asked in a droll tone. Raising an eyebrow, he added, "You stayed after school to talk to me about that?"

"Well, no." Jazz gave a rueful smile at that. "Danny flunked out on an important math test on Friday, so he has to do the re-take now. I stayed after to give him a ride home."

"I see…" Mr. Lancer frowned in a very adult-like fashion. "No doubt your brother would have done better if he was studying rather then hunting ghosts, hm?"

"That kinda what I want to talk to you about…" Jazz said hesitantly. "The whole no ghost hunting thing, I mean."

"Then I can tell you right now the answer's no, Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer said shortly, turning to head to the teacher's lounge again.

"Wait!" Jazz said, jumping in front of him to stop his retreat. "Mr. Lancer, please! Just hear me out, okay?" Rolling his eyes slightly, Mr. Lancer stopped and crossed his arms impatiently, waiting for the girl to say her piece and be done with it. Seeing that he was giving her a chance, Jazz took a deep breath. "Look, I know the whole ghost hunting thing is dangerous. I know you think that Danny's too young and that we shouldn't be involved in something like this…"

"Then we're at an understanding, Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer interjected.

"Please, Mr. Lancer, I'm not done." Jazz pleaded softly. "I know you think you're doing Danny a favor, that you're keeping him safe, but that's not true, Mr. Lancer."

"And just what makes you think that?" Mr. Lancer demanded, bristling slightly.

"Because, you're telling Danny to give up part of who he is." Jazz explained, clearly searching for the best way to word her explination. "Danny's not just the high school student you're trying to make him be anymore. Danny Phantom's become such a big part of Danny's personality, of himself. The things he's done as Danny Phantom are really helping him grow as a person, and being a superhero has given him a real purpose."

**Danny needs to be a superhero as much as Amity Park needs him to be one.** Jazz added grimly in her head as Mr. Poluka passed by, chatting aimlessly with one of the social study teachers. **You can't make him give that up, Mr. Lancer, it's not going to help anyone.**

"Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer sighed as soon as his colleges had passed out of hearing distance. "I'm starting to get tired of you four trying to make me feel guilty about what I've decided." Leveling a glare at her, Mr. Lancer drew himself up to his full height. "I'm not allowing Miss Grey to put herself in danger hunting ghosts, and I'm not about to make an exception of your brother. I don't care how much good you think you're doing, the risks are far too much for children such as yourself to be taking." Jazz groaned and shook her head at that.

"But that's just it, Mr. Lancer." she said as she frowned slightly at the teacher. "Danny's not just a little kid anymore. He's grown up so much after everything he's seen, everything he's faced… And telling him to go backwards after everything he's been through just because he's too young isn't fair to him, or Sam and Tucker."

"Well, life isn't always fair, Miss Fenton." Mr. Lancer said stiffly, brushing past the girl to lock himself in the teacher's lounge.

He hesitated a moment, leaning against the door. While he didn't want to admit it, so much of what Sam and Jazz had just said had made sense to him. Enough so that he was in fact starting to feel guilty over the threat he was hanging over their heads…

_This isn't the time to second guess myself._ Mr. Lancer reminded himself, shaking his head and heading for the vending machine for his Hart-Munchies. _I've already decided that this is what's best for everyone, Danny included. If any of them ended up seriously hurt because of this ghost craze of theirs, I'd never be able to forgive myself for not stopping them…_

Punching the numbers on the vending machine, Mr. Lancer waited impatiently for the bag to drop out.

Only to see it get stuck on the wire.

"Common Sense!" Mr. Lancer growled out, pounding on the Plexiglas in a rare show of anger.

That's then the entire school shook as if it was caught in an earthquake.

Yelping, Mr. Lancer struggled to stay standing, not even noticing when the 'quake' knocked his snack off of the wire. The teacher's eyes widened when a loud, feral roar made the windows shake in their frames, his heart dropping into his stomach.

_Oh no…_

Springing for the door, Mr. Lancer raced towards the Math Department of the school, which thankfully wasn't too far from the teacher's lounge. Just as he was rounding the corner he made impact with a much smaller boy, who fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Mr. Lancer!" Danny stiffened, his eyes wide and guilty as Mr. Lancer glared down at him.

"Going somewhere, Mr. Fenton?" He asked shortly, irritated that the boy was trying to get around their agreement already.

"Hehe… What gave you that idea?" Danny asked, flashing the teacher an innocent (and completely unconvincing) smile.

Mr. Lancer's glare only deepened, making the boy flinch.

"I thought we had a deal?" Mr. Lancer said coldly, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I know, but—!"

"No buts, Danny." Scowling slightly, Mr. Lancer grasped the boys wrist, tugging him to his feet and down the hall. "Now come along. You're going to stay where I can keep an eye on you."

"But Mr. Lancer—!"

"Need I remind you of the terms of our deal, Mr. Fenton?" The teacher asked with a pointed look. Danny merely winced submissively, saying nothing. "That's what I thought. Let's go, Danny." The two of them had barely taken two steps before there was another loud roar, this time followed by a scream.

**Darn it, I can't do this!** Danny thought harshly in his head. **Oh, well… if I'm gonna die, it might as well be with a clear conscience.**

"Sorry, Mr. Lancer…" Mr. Lancer frowned, turning to ask exactly what the boy was 'sorry' about…

…When he suddenly realized that he was alone. Not only alone, but alone inside a janitors' closet, amidst all too familiar mops and buckets.

"The Diary of Anne Frank, not _again_!"

---

**WoM- _Sorry about the ending, but I couldn't help myself._ 'giggles shamelessly' _Three chapters left now, people! I'm actually gonna be really sorry to see this one go, I'm having fun here…_ 'grins evilly'**

---

**Thanks to;**

MissMeliss4251, angel4u185, Ohka Breynekai, Bunny Bubble, Queen S of Randomness 016, Firehedgehog, epobbp, Ghostboy814, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, jjeeff185, shadow thief wolf, Meiriona, Light Dragon SunsSong, My Eternal Facade, Epona Harper, AkoyaMizuno, Becky Yuy, sugarland31, Jillie chan, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Sirithiliel, Phantom of a Rose, SquirrelGirl13, xheartkreuzx, CharmedNightSkye, Warrior of winds, Sasia, Balkoth, Shewhodanceswithdragons, PotterPhan21, KittyKiChi, kennyk12, Jessica01, Samantha-Girl Scout, blindyourears, Horselvr4evr123, SilverstarsEbonyskies, purpledog100, Serena, acosta perez jose ramiro, dArkliTe-sPirit, Punker88, Snea, werewulf, giggleaid, emotigone crazy, Kairi7, Daethule, Tetsukon, Kyasarin-Maarukeehii1, Rambie, Evillittlegurlie, midnightRoadkill, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, Kyasarin-Maarukeehii1, NebuNeferu, -StarPhantom-, katiesparks, Celestial Pendent, Redwind, Kyasarin-Maarukeehii1, Miss Selarne, ghostgirl14027, Harm Marie, Invader Johnny, Shenhua Phantom, Fan-Fic-CC27, Zuzanny, Funkatron, DragonEva, timydamonkey, Wingg-ed Wolf, Lumias, conan98002, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, BratCat, Kellie Fay, Madame Band Geek, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Witch4ever, Serena the Hikari of Love, phantomshadowdragon, NNF, purrbaby101, ur1crazedupfruitloop, Firefury, CMG13, Gmasangel, Itallia, Kirstyn.T, aussie-dreamer, LovelyxBunchaxCoconuts, shadow929, Raving-Lunatic, AirGirl Phantom, Hiroshi Yakuza Ketchum, CarmenElizabeth, Rob Phantom, Kat, ImMoRtAl-FoOl, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, Frodo01228, Narugirl94, DragonSword35d, Anomaly25, avearia, ilikedan, narsaksas, Lt. Commander Richie, BarnOwl93, Tazzel Quickbow, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, BadCatGirl, Darth Frodo, JosephineInLove, XThe UnwantedX, fish n chips n vinegar, The Sleep Warrior

**Special Thanks to;**

Dr. Strangelove Lover, Jessica01, sugarland31, Epona Harper, dragon halfling, fan-girls2.0, PotterPhan21, 'Dark-Independent-Girl-101', acosta perez jose ramiro, The Lady PhantomMage of Conte, sesshyluver, Queen S of Randomness 016, Iaveina, kennyk12, LovelyxBunchaxCoconuts, Emria, Celestial Pendent, DannyandWaffle, Rob Phantom, kawaii chibi shun, ImMoRtAl-FoOl, dl-sPirit, Narugirl94, Sunshine Silverjojo, fish n chips n vinegar, Straying Life, Rambie, winkaku, Sirithiliel, Arabic Blessing, Phantom-Princess93, Bunny Bubble, X-Roosterrelli-X, CMG13, RyuuMahou, Samantha Seldowitz


	13. Breakdown

**WoM- _Now, you didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? And for those of you who were complaining about Lancer not letting Danny fight even after someone screamed, you have to understand that all of that happened too quickly for Lancer to react to that. With that said, here's the 13th chapter of MoC, where we'll be boiling back down to the ending…_**

* * *

**Tucker:** _(To Mr. Lancer, as he's buying a shaving device)_ Don't you need hair for that?  
**Mr. Lancer:** Good one, Mr. Foley. I'll remember that on Monday when I'm grading tests.

* * *

**Breakdown**

_Am I really going to go through with this…?_

Mr. Lancer frowned to himself as the thought ran through his head over and over again, his knuckles white as he clenched the steering wheel painfully hard and his eyes glued to the road in front of him without really seeing it.

After two hours of yelling and pounding, a teacher passing by finally heard his cries for help and let him out of the closet Danny had imprisoned him in. Apparently, Paulina and Sam had finished up their hour and left without consulting him, no doubt still bitter over the whole arrangement…

_What on earth is making these kids so narrow-minded, anyways?_ Mr. Lancer thought, sighing heavily. He'd dealt with students who refused to see the big picture before, but this group was borderline ridiculous, and they were going to kill themselves because of it.

Shaking his head, Mr. Lancer popped in the tape from Sam and Paulina's session that day, deciding to listen to it now that he had a free moment. The tape crackled for a moment before there was a harsh sigh from one of the girls.

**_Might as well get this over with…_ **Paulina thought bitterly, making the teacher blink. He could hear thoughts recorded on tape? That was an interesting development…

_"Okay, lets hurry up with this. I've got a manicure at six and I'm not going to miss it because of you."_

_"Because that's something that just _**so**_ important…" _Sam muttered sarcastically. _"Whatever. What do you want to talk about?" _

**_Or is it possible for you to find something to talk about without having a list right in front of you to make it easier?_** There was a thoughtful pause from Paulina here.

**_I wonder…_**

_"Boys."_ She responded coyly.

Mr. Lancer could almost _hear _Sam freeze up over the tape.

_"W-what?"_ Sam said, her voice going up an octave.

**_Why do I not like the direction this conversations going in?_**

_"You heard me."_ Paulina drolled out smugly. _"I mean, I'm a teenaged girl and you're a teenaged girl… more or less, at any rate… so what better subject for teenaged girls to talk about then teenaged boys?"_

_**I could think of a hundred things off the top of my head that don't involve putting Danny's secret at risk even more then it already is.**_ Sam thought at once. **_Hey, wait a second­—!_**

_"More or less?" _Sam repeated dangerously. _"And just what's _**that**_ supposed to mean?"_

_"Exactly what it sounds like."_ Paulina said innocently. _"What's wrong? I thought you liked not being like other girls? I mean, you're always going on and on about individuality and being unique…"_

_"So what?" _Sam demanded. _"How does that not make me a teenaged girl, huh?"_

_"I was just saying."_ Paulina huffed in annoyance. _"Sheath your fangs, bat girl, it's not my fault you don't have a boyfriend."_

_"Ex-_**cuse**_ me?"_ Sam hissed. _"And just what do you mean by _**that**_?"_

_"Nothing."_ Paulina said airily, and Mr. Lancer sensed a shrug accompanied the word. _"I just figured that was the reason you didn't want to talk about boys is all…"_

_"Oh, like you do!" _Sam snapped. _"You're so obsessed with Danny that you don't even notice other boys anymore!"_ There was a short pause, then furious cursing in Sam's head as she added, _"PHANTOM! You're obsessed with Danny Phantom! Not my Danny!"_

**_I can't believe I made that slip!_** Sam scolded herself harshly in her head. _**Uugh… Well, at least it's just Paulina. She's too dumb to make the connection, anyways.** _

_"Your Danny?"_ Paulina repeated, sounding faintly amused. _"I thought you two weren't dating?"_

_"We're not!" _Sam protested at once. _"I just meant— Oh, forget it! I don't have to explain myself to you!"_

_"I can help you, you know."_ Paulina said sweetly. _"I know what boys like Danny like about girls. I can give you tips that will have him drooling over you before the week's out."_

_**Doubt it…**_ Sam thought bitterly, a depressed tone working it's way into her thoughts. **_Danny's only interested in girls like you… or Valerie… and I could never be that._**

_"Let me guess."_ Sam said coldly. _"In exchange, you want me to tell you about your precious ghost boy? Forget it Paulina, I'm not interested."_

_"So then you do know the ghost boy!"_ Paulina squealed triumphantly.

**_Hook, line and sinker… I can't believe it was so easy! And she thinks she's so smart…_**

_**…Aw, crap…**_

_"Of course not!"_ Sam couldn't get the words out fast enough. _"What gave you that idea?"_

_"You wouldn't have offered if you couldn't deliver."_ Paulina pointed out smugly.

_"No! I mean… I just meant…"_ _**Aw, darn it… Think Sam, think…** "Look I only met the ghost boy a few times, okay? Because of the Fentons!" _Mr. Lancer frowned slightly, wondering how many lies like this the group had told to protect Danny's secret… to their classmates, to strangers, to their own parents… 

…To him.

Mr. Lancer stopped the tape there, having heard enough. He drove on down the road in silence, with no one's thoughts in his head but his own. A rare moment for him of late…

_Do I really have to tell them?_ Mr. Lancer always prided himself on being a man of his word. He'd always been the type to think and plan things carefully and choose a path that would be best for everyone. And when Mr. Lancer made threats, he was always one to follow through should the deal not be kept.

And Danny made it quite clear he had no intention of honoring their agreement.

But at the same time, Jazz and Sam's words rang clearly in his head. They were right on many levels, Mr. Lancer had to admit that, but it still didn't change the fact that the defense of Amity Park should not be left in the hands of four teenagers with no formal guidance or training.

It was only a miracle of pure, dumb luck that none of them had been killed yet trying to play superhero… and if one of them was hurt during these ghost hunting escapades, what on earth would they had told their parents? More lies, despite the risk upon the injured party's health?

Besides that, Mr. Lancer couldn't help but think of the worried look on Mrs. Fenton's face that night in the living room, the fears she expressed to her husband… their desire to know just what was going on that their son didn't want them to know about…

_Is it really fair to them for him to continue this charade? _Mr. Lancer wondered, his lips pressed. No matter what Danny said about things being too complicated to involve them, the teacher felt that they had the right to know just what their son was doing with all his free time… And it was better they found out this way then at the boy's funeral or something equally morbid.

Still, as much as Mr. Lancer told himself this… and as much as he believed it… he really didn't want to be the one to reveal the boy to his parents, and he certainly didn't want to be responsible for the three friends being torn apart by overprotective parents.

As much as he wanted it to be though, there really was no other choice…

Before the scholar could contemplate things further, a glowing figure in the sky caught the corner of his eye, and he wheeled around to see a very overly-pleased looking Desiree flying off to some unknown location. Frowning, Mr. Lancer remembered all the questions he had as of yet to as the genie-ghost, given all the chaos that had been occurring lately.

Besides, it gave him an excuse not to go to the Fentons as of just yet…

Turning around, the teacher followed the ghost as she flew above the skies of Amity Park, apparently searching for something or another without ever noticing that she was being tailed. She found what she was seeking apparently, since she altered her path and headed towards the High School. Stiffening suspiciously, Mr. Lancer pressed a little harder down on the accelerator, keeping his eyes trained on the ghost woman he was following.

Eventually, he found himself back at Casper High, leaving his car and making a conscious effort to keep as quiet as possible as he sneaked around back to the cafeteria entrance, where Desiree floated facing what looked like three ectoplasmic vultures, her back turned to him. Mr. Lancer frowned to himself as he leaned in to listen to the conversation.

"You're sure everything on track?" One of the vultures asked, making the teacher jump slightly.

_Talking ghost vultures?_ He thought, blinking slightly. Oddly enough, though, this didn't surprise him as much as it should have…

"Better then I could have dreamed." Desiree replied arrogantly. "The ghost boy's too busy worrying about his teacher knowing his secret to even give me a passing thought right now. It's only a matter of time now until it all unravels… but I cannot guarantee anything until I get my reward."

"Yeah, yeah…" Another vulture grunted, flapping his wings. "Don't get your tail in a knot, princess! The boss vill deliver vhen you do."

"That was not our agreement." Desiree said coldly. "The deal was that I'd help your employer get his apprentice, and in return Plasmius would help me turn this city into my kingdom!" Mr. Lancer's eyes widened at that.

So that's what the woman was after! But how… and who… Wait… Plasmius? Wasn't that the name Danny and his friends said Vlad Masters went by in ghost form?

_Midsummer's Dream, what's going on here?_

"Patience, my dear Desiree." A new ghost spoke up, stepping out of the shadows. Mr. Lancer stiffened at the sight of him, chills running down his spine at the ghost's vampiric appearance. "As my dear minions so ingeniously pointed out, your end of our bargain has yet to be upheld. I'll get you your kingdom when Daniel has willingly joined my side, and not a moment sooner." Mr. Lancer frowned. So Danny wasn't kidding about the evil apprentice for all eternity thing… figures…

"I'm not doing any more until you've gone through with your end of our deal." Desiree said stubbornly. "You're not known for upholding your word, Plasmius, and I refuse to be used and fooled by you."

"Yes, you'd know about upholding your word, wouldn't you?" Plasmius responded in a vaguely amused tone. "With all of your wordplay wishes and misuse of your powers to make others suffer…"

"Say what you will, Plasmius." Desiree responded, her words as cold as ice. "But you cannot finish your plan without my help, and I will not help you until you've given me what you promised as mine."

"Relentless now, aren't you?" Plasmius said, not sounding all that bothered with the ghost woman's demands.

"I refused to be cheated of my heart's desire twice in my existence." Desiree said stiffly in return.

"Very well, then." Plasmius said with a nod. "Have you obtained enough power to grant my wish?" Mr. Lancer blinked at that, leaning in to listen closer. Wish…?

"No, not yet." Desiree admitted reluctantly. "Love is a powerful emotion to overcome, especially one that runs deep as love between a family. I will need to grant a few more wishes before I'm strong enough to grant yours."

"In that case, I wish that you will have your kingdom after you've granted my first wish." Plasmius said with a smirk. "That way neither parties are cheated of what they want." Desiree laughed slightly at that.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be." She said smoothly. "I will gather my strength, Plasmius. Meet me here again at midnight so that we may finish our deal and go our separate ways."

"Very well." Plasmius responded, turning to leave with his vultures. "Until then, Desiree…" His eyes wide, Mr. Lancer watched the ghosts leave, sinking against the wall to try and sort out this new information.

_Polidori's The Vampyre…_ He thought, shell-shocked. _What next…?_

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"I've got it!" Danny called from somewhere inside the house, followed by the sound of footfall before the door opened to reveal the half ghost. Danny stiffened at the sight of his teacher on his doorstep, An expression of terror on his face that was more suited of being visited by the bringer or death then a high school vice principal. "M-Mr. Lancer…"

"Danny." Mr. Lancer sighed, watching the boy's grip on the door tighten as if he was tempted to slam it closed in the teacher's face. A fury of panicked, incoherent thoughts ran through Danny's mind, much like when the teacher had first discovered the boy's secret. "Calm down, Danny." Mr. Lancer said, trying to drown out the thoughts. "I'm not here for the reasons you think." Danny blinked at that, a baffled look on his face, though his grip on the door loosened slightly.

"You're not?" He repeated hopefully.

**Then you're gonna let us fight ghosts after all?**

"Not quite." Mr. Lancer said dryly. "I need to speak to you in private for a moment. In regards with the subject we spoke of earlier…?" Danny's eyes narrowed slightly at that, catching the hint that Lancer wanted to talk about his ghost hunting again.

"Mom!" He yelled out behind him. "I'm going out for a little bit, okay?"

"Be back before ten, sweetie!" Mrs. Fenton called back as her son left, leading Mr. Lancer away until they were underneath a streetlamp.

"Okay, Mr. Lancer, What—?"

"The other half ghost is here." Mr. Lancer broke in, watching Danny go dangerously still.

"Plasmius?" He asked in surprise before he grew serious. "Where? Does he know you saw him? Or that you know about him?"

"Yes, him." Mr. Lancer sighed. "He was meeting with that Desiree woman by the school… something about an agreement they had… Neither of them noticed me." Danny's eyes narrowed slightly at this information.

"What agreement?" He asked, crossing his arms.

**Vlad should know better then to trust Desiree with something, with her track record for blotched wishes…**

"He mentioned something about that." Mr. Lancer said with a thoughtful nod. "Neither of them seemed to trust the other one all that much… But apparently, the agreement was that Plasmius would help Desiree turn Amity Park into her kingdom is Desiree granted his wish. They didn't give me anything more specific then that, though they did mention that Desiree needed more power. Sometime about love being a powerful emotion to overcome…"

"That doesn't sound good…" Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair.

I can only think of a few wishes Vlad would make involving love… and none of them are wishes I want him to make.

"Anything else?" Danny pressed, far more attentive then Mr. Lancer had ever seen the boy before.

_If only he put this much effort into his schoolwork…_

"They're meeting at the school again at midnight to finish the deal." Mr. Lancer confessed seriously. "Desiree mentioned sometime about granting more wishes to increase her power for their next meeting as well."

"Then I'll just have to stop her before she can grant Vlad's wish." Danny said, scowling. Blinking, the boy glanced at his teacher again, a puzzled look on his face. "Why are you telling me all of this, anyways? I thought you didn't want me ghost hunting anymore…"

_So did I…_

"I don't." Mr. Lancer said with far more conviction then he necessarily felt. "I'm merely making an exception here. This situation seems to have gotten dangerous, and you're the only one with enough power and knowledge of the enemy to hope to resolve it peacefully. After this, I will reinstate our earlier agreement." Danny's shoulders fell at that.

**Figures…** He thought bitterly.

"Also, I will be accompanying you to stop this Ms Desiree and Plasmius." Mr. Lancer added, making Danny's head snap around in alarm.

"What?" He said loudly. "But Mr. Lancer, you can't—!"

"I can and I will, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer said severely. "Either I go with you to stop these ghosts, or I go with your parents to stop _you_. It's your choice, Danny."

**Some choice…**

"Alright…" Danny sighed. "Just be ready to duck if things get ugly, okay? Vlad will sink to any level to get what he wants, and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"I can look after myself just fine, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer huffed stiffly as he turned and walked away.

_…I hope._

* * *

**WoM- :D **_**A lot of you were probably expecting this after a while, weren't you?** 'giggles shamelessly' **Next Chapter comes out after Blackbird, so be on the lookout, okay people?**_

* * *

**Thanks to;**

Wingg-ed Wolf, Queen S of Randomness 016, Soultail Omega-Light, Samantha-Girl Scout, iloveJesusJohnnyandDanny, purrbaby101, Serena, Firefury, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Light Dragon SunsSong, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, Lt. Commander Richie, Lumias, Sirithiliel, Narugirl94, Dr. Strangelove Lover, Ghostboy814, BugzAttack, Writer's-BlockDP, shadow929, KittyKiChi, Kyasarin-Maarukeehii1, Invader Johnny, MissMeliss4251, softballgirl9411, AirGirl Phantom, ur1crazedupfruitloop, dPhantoMfreak, ShiroAndFubuki, ScathingSarcasm, emotigone crazy, Becky Yuy, BratCat, kennyk12, Neferet10210, fish n chips n vinegar, SquirrelGirl13, conan98002, Hiro the Wolf, epobbp, Rob Phantom, robtitan, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Frodo01228, dragon halfling, angel4u185, xheartkreuzx, JosephineInLove, PotterPhan21, fan-girls2.0, Punker88, Harm Marie, dArkliTe-sPirit, Scribe of Aurora, acosta perez jose ramiro, chaotic.calm, Kirstyn.T, Zuzanny, Redwind, Epona Harper, Fan-Fic-CC27, Anomaly25, Firehedgehog, Jessica01, DiscordianSamba, phantomshadowdragon, Kellie Fay, Rambie, TJ, sugarland31, werewulf, Tazzel Quickbow, SilverstarsEbonyskies, BarnOwl93, CharmedNightSkye, The Sleep Warrior, LokiWaterDraca, egyptianqueen777, DragonSword35d, Emria, narsaksas, ImMoRtAl-FoOl, brittney, Just A Thinker, Witch4ever, XxMidnightWolfxX, Petitio Principii, XThe UnwantedX, Bunny Bubble, Horselvr4evr123, Gmasangel, Warrior of winds, Tornada Silverwind, Kaji Blaze the Crimson Serafin, Meagaisnttheworld, Rachelle Ryan, Twisted Creampuff, midnightpyro, Balkoth, ArcherofDarkness and Callie, Icepaw, WolfDaughter, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Quacked Lurker, Angelgirl963, kirei-Nadeshiko14, Cyllwen, Nonasuki-chan, Mystic Dragon, Marz1, SecretSparkle, Trumpet-Geek, Linariel, Hiei's Cute Girl, Alana-StarSugarCat, PhantomWolf, dragon-game, wierdIT, blackXheart, Serena, ScathingSarcasm, fish n chips n vinegar, dragon halfling, Zuzanny, Rambie, TJ, egyptianqueen777, brittney, Kaji Blaze the Crimson Serafin, WolfDaughter, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, PhantomWolf,


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